y' some have bin amazed at ye length of their own reach when they came to be extended by employment as appeared in ye late King Charles; who, after his more imperious destiny had placed him under y tutorage of an unavoidable necessity, attain'd a pen more majestical than the crown he lost.] I think I hinted to you in my former, how much my Lord yor father is pleased with y° 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 wch 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 y Emblem of Monarchy, (& so did my Lord when I interpreted it to him.) Some might do well to relate it to his Highness y La Protectour, whe

I beleeve, may subscribe to ye truth of y 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 was 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 fifthmonarchy-men I mentioned 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, wch ye Protecto having secret intelligence of, sent Mr. Randall, (even Joshua Randall, y sober mad-man as he calld him,) whom he knew to be trusty and resolute, wth a party of horse to take them. 'Twas about Epping in Essex; whither he got about midnight, & found them gathering into a body well arm'd and horsed: he divides his party, & falls upo them on a sudden, firing (with powder only in their faces, wch so amazed them that cryed quarter: & were about 60 taken (more than y party that took them: y rest escaped away,) & brought to White-hall by 6 of y clock in ye morning, wh their hands bound behind them on their horse-backs, for we good service my L Protecto' hath an eye upo' him

they

that may well make him expect farther p'ferment. He might have had a good officer's place, if he would have gone with those forces that are sent over to help y French against y Spaniard but his wife kept him from accepting it: & I think he would not willingly leave her for any such designe.

"The letter you sent to yo' uncle John, & that we accompanied it with pictures for me, have not bin yet received: & I believe never will now for it is 6 weekes since that wherein the flea-chain, and ye pictures of s German beauties were enclosed came to my hands, for which I do again give you my very humble thankes. I have satisfyed many curious eyes with them already; & had I a few more such rarities my chamber would be resorted to like John Tredescant's. The truth is I have an ambition to obtain your two pictures in one way or other, wch Tho. Gregory puts me in hopes I shall. However, I shall treasure up yor letters (those pictures of yor better part) & therewith entertain myself & others, till you appear in person to answer y expectation that is rais'd of you. But give me leave to reinforce my former petition, viz. that you would please to gratify me with some account of what you do in order to yo' keeping or encreasing yo' knowledge in y Latine tongue, (wch I beleeve you

find ye benefit of every day more & more,) as also of what experiments or rarities, appertaining to Optiques, Geometry, Astronomy, or any other Science you have met with, seen, or heard of since your comming into Germany, & that you would please to hearken after such things for ye future. But I hasten. Yours to Mr. Nid and Mr. Knightbridge were delivered; & I expected one fro' Mr. Nid to you, but have not yet heard fro' him.

"Yo' brothers p'sent their service to you: but I cannot get them to doe it with their own pen. A word or two from you to mind their studies, would take much & be very acceptable to my Lord. You forgot to tell me in yo' bro' whether y° Coates of Armes I sent were according to yor mind, and whether you desire

more.

"I should be very glad to be employed in any service I am capable to p'form for you. Let me conclude with a request to you to seek, & feare God above all; & with a request to God to own, direct, & sanctify you; which I pray for with all my hart as y unum necessariu'. And herein I am sure I answer y title of

"Sir,

"Yo' faithfull Servant,

IOHN THORNTON.

"Ne sit mortale quod optes.

"I much wonder that you write English so true, wherein (for want of heed) you were formerly so much defective.

Mr. Russell spent the winter of 1658 at Paris; and it appears by a letter to his cousin Mr. Henry Capel, of too little consequence to merit insertion here, that he did not escape the affectation common to young travellers, of using French phrases and words for things which may be as well expressed in English.

More serious thoughts were awakened by a severe illness which was the occasion of his writing in the following terms to Mr. Thornton. "I am recovered of an unruly sickness, which brought me so low that I was just at death's door: my prayers to God are to give me together with my health, grace to employ it in his service, and to make good use of this his visitation by the serious application of it."

These reflections are a proof of a religious disposition. But it was not till after his marriage that he applied himself with earnestness both in meditation and action to fulfil the duties of a Christian.

The following letter to his brother explains