The Hartlib Papers

1. No. 153. Ian. 10. 1660.

  A disquisition Concerning Pearle-bearing Shellfish.

         Sylva, or a wild Miscellany.

   If iewells were worth soe much, as our Pride, Vanityes, gauderyes, shops & mercates have given for them, & common writers of naturall philosophy have assumed in their behalfe, Then surely they might[altered] deserve a better history, than I have yet seene; And thiese dayes of universall commerce by sea & land might <be expected to> affoord better satisfaction herein.

   And the Pearle being anciently in high esteeme, & (to this age) bearing, as well an untainted reputation, as a lustrous beauty, & beeing without doubt a cordiall, & many wayes powerfull in the best medicines, I shall doe as well as I can, & rather sollicite ayde from others, than undrtake the history of it.

   To rifle dictionaryes, or to canvasse old authors for the names or kinds of the pearle-bearing shellfish in Latine, greeke, or other languages, will not discharge our Inquisition, & <or> fully answere our purpose.

   Wee can begin at certainety, as if wee were able to lay a sure foundation, That pearle of one kind, or other, some better, some worse, is found in the horse mussle[altered from muscle], in the oyster, & in the purple shellfish, which yielded the ancient purple. But that all kinds of oisters, or of muscles, doe in all places beare pearle,

I And first wee that dwell neere Robin Hoodes buts neede not travayle far to find a kind of well-complexioned pearle, & of a sufficient size in the larger mussle[altered from muscle], here called the horse-mussle[altered from muscle]. And the shell on the inside passeth for the Mother of pearle. Good store of this kind of pearle may bee found in some parts of the river of Clun, which runneth out of Montgomery-shire into some parts of Shropshire. And this pearle seemeth more like the Orientall pearle, than any that is [word deleted] <found> in Scotland, <ours> being for the most part free from the tincture of yellownesse.

   And nowe the largenesse of the pearle adding soe much to the vallue (for that pearle that Cleopatra dranke in a health to Marke Antony is valued in Brerewoods accompt 78125 lb sterling) Howe shall <wee> doe to find the largest of thiese pearles?

   If the largenesse of the Muscle would give hope

   But this hope is sorely affronted, in that the pearlebearing horse-mussle is not altogether soe greate as other horsemussles, & may [bee?] at [word deleted] [left margin, bracketing next 5 lines: 2 3] distance bee distinguished by this contaractednes, by a more than ordinary blackishnesse, & by a roughnesse & craggines on the outside, which three markes will direct to save the labour of gathering or opening them such as have nothing in them.

   Our neighbours, the Welch men, doe tell us, That in their river Clun there is such plenty of thiese craggy pearle-bearing mussles, That they doe more then cover the bottome of the river. If wee aske them, why then they doe not supply us with more store, or at cheaper rates, They

   Thiese horse-mussles that are soe prodigall of Margarites, doe yield us noe other wholsome sustinence; And therefore let us shun them, except wee have a mind to eate poysone in a condiment, for as Pliny sayth Salem virusque resipiunt. l. 32 c. 9. Yet this censure of Pliny extendeth not to the Mussles that are brought to Venice, & lesse to those mussles which are brought from Romers wall betweene Flushing & Bergen ap Zon, especially if boyled in their owne water, or a like saltish [catchword: water]

water & strong ale or a little vinegar, or kept in [letters deleted] <Serieant> Goodrons pickle made of sea-water, wine, vineger, bayleaves, mints, pepper, ginger, & cinnamon, which is a alike excellent for oisters, & mussles, & [letter deleted] is by Dr Muffet warranted to make the Mussle as wholsome, & more pleasant, than the oister.

   And Dr Wotton (lib de differ: anim.) gives these directions; That the least mussles bee ever best, the red ones very dangerous, the yellowe suspected, but the white are wholsome, & much comended, save unto hot & distempered stomachs. And thus much (by the helpe of digressions) upon the Muscle called Cho Concha hiatula, mitulus, & by Pliny Chama, by thiese names distinguished from Cockles, which by Scribonius largus & Pliny are called Pectines, & pectunculi Plin l. 32. c. 7. & l. 9. c. 29.

But in defence of thiese Grammaticall distinctions I will not fight any bloudy battles

2 Next come Oisters for thiese 2000 yeares esteemed the best & wholsomest of luxurious dishes, & this allso brings the pearle in his mouth or strewes the sand with it. as doe witnesse not only the Indian, but allso the English, Flemmish, & Almaine Seas.

  But I dare not warrant that the pleasantest & wholsomest oyster gives the best, & best store of pearle. If soe, our British seas get the renowne of [letters deleted] the Erythræan treasure. For our English oyster (I meane those of Wallfleete, & Colchester, not those of Southampton, Poole, Rye, Whitstable, Vske, & or other ports) wo are not far behind the best in the World for delicacy, & wholsomnesse.

   And thiese that are the delicate foode are anciently extolled for their beauty. A fayre Lady amongst us would not take it well, to have her eyes (the iewells of her feature) compared with an oyster, for the glosse & lustre of her beauty, nor <allowe> [word deleted] the comparison of her eyes with pearle, Yet Pliny l. 32. c. 6. stiles the oister calliblephara, fayre eyed, or fayre eye-lidded. And the comparison may seeme as alloweable as Homers [Greek: boopis potnia Here]. The greate Sultana of his Heathenish God Iuppiter beeing set foorth in the Maiesty of a bulleyed, cowe eyed, or Oxeyed

Cant. c. 1. v. 9

              Thou Love art like those generous steedes,

           Which Pharoah for his chariot breedes

           Trickt in their rich comparisons!

           Howe shine thy cheekes with sparkling stones,

           Which loosely dangle from thine eares!

           Thy necke the Oceans treasure weares

           I will a golden zone impart

           Enameled with curious arte.

Yet let us suspend our Censure till our moderne Wits bee able to teach thiese two authors language, & the true flourishes of Rhetoric in prose in verse. In the meane time, let us a little weigh the beauty of the delicious oyster.

   The best are thie little, & round-shelld, not slippery nor flaggy through abundance of a gellyed

   This comely oyster was worthy of the Visite of a better Man than [word deleted] <Caligula> Cæsar & might fayrely hide his vaine expedition, & give him the glory of his Triumph for conquering Oysters, when his soldiers filld their helmets & bosomes with that rich plunder, & thereby merited[altered] the donative of 100 deniers to each soldier, & the memorable plaudite, Abite, inquit, læti, abite locupletes. Suet: Cal: 46.

   Tis worth our digression, if wee could discover the Art of Apicius, That wee <might> send our Wallfleete oysters (sweete, & in perfection) all over the world; as hee sent oysters from Rome to Tiberius Cæsar in the Parthian war. And Pliny l. 32. c. 6.

seemes to assure greater performances, That oysters may bee kept all the yeare long covered in snowe, <& soe may bee eaten in summer as cold can bee.> which, if true, deserves his exclamation, Quanti, quanti es luxuria, quæ summa montium et maris ima comisces! A well devised pickle will defend <them> from the heate of the summer, or of the way. And will noe mans pallate comend for this use the pickle, That was soe proper for Anchovaes (Encrasicholos[altered from Encrasicolos]) when Anchavaes were more agreeable to health, & lesse provocative to lust than nowe they are. Namely, by barrelling them up in their owne liquor ioyned with origanum, salt, & wine vinegar!

   Haveing allready found beauty, wealth, foode, pleasure, health & Venery <restorative>, a ready fare, & long travayling table, a winter & sumer feast in an oyster, I may with some boldnesse a little longer insiste upon this digression, considering that Tiberius Cæsar gave Asellius the Sabine no lesse then 4000 crownes <left margin: or 1000 lb as Dr Muffet renders it HS ducenta.> for a dialogue which hee made betwixt <the [mushrum?]> the fig-finch, the thrush, & the oyster, Suet. [Cal?] <left margin: Tib.> 42. And yet who more cruelly covetous than [Caligula?] <Tiberius>. I may hope to bee able to speake as much

   And first I will [words deleted] tell you what soyle is kindest for oysters. With a long preface [word deleted] <accuseing> the Insolence of Mankind, who hath chastised Neptune, planted fields, farmes, parkes & Islands in the Maine Ocean, Columella recovers himselfe to direct our choice de piscinis l. 8. 6. 16. Sed quoniam sic mores obcalluere non ut hæc usitata, sed verum ut maximè laudabilia, et honesta iudicarentur, nos quoque ne videamur tot iam seculorum seri castigatores, hunc etiam quæstum villaticum patrisfamilias demonstrabimus, qui sive insulas sive maritimos agros mercatus, propter exilitatem soli, quæ plerumque littori vicina est fructus terræ præcipere non poterit[altered from potest], ex mari reditum constituat. Huius autem rei quasi primordium est, naturam loci contemplari, quo piscinas facere constitueris. non enim omnibus littoribus omne genus piscium haberi potest. Limosa regio planum educat piscem, velut soleam, rhombum passerem; eadem quoque maximè idonea est chonchylijs, muricibus, et ostreis, purpurarumque, tum concharum[altered from choncharum] pectunculis, balanis, vel spondylis. [catchword: &c]

   I needed noe preface to excuse this luxury, which hee calls cruelty, but I heartily wish our transgressions were only against the Ocean, & seawaters, & our crueltyes were restrayned from the effusion of humane bloud, till wee have dehausted & drunke up the Ocean. Nor that any Nation would war against another, or embroyle in civile tumults, till the Seas refused to yield us foode, & roome for sleepe, reste, travayle, artifice, & plantations for cittyes, fields, lakes, & ponds. Since his dayes wee have seene Cittyes planted in the Seas that are become the greate Emporia of the Vniverse. & the Belgique pismire, & some bold English have drayned some of their richest meadowes, & best graseing grounds out of the sea. And nowe it were happy pollicy if wee should never heare of sound of drum or trumpet, till our buildings encroachments have proved a Nusance (as our Lawyers call it) to Spaine, france, or other borderers. But wee

   To divert this cruelty I dare proclaime that the best oysters are such as are farthest in the deepe maine salt sea. For the rule is thus (as I take it) from Celeus & Trallianus, That the fattest oysters are taken in salt-water at the mouth of rivers, but the wholsomest & lightest are in the maine upon shelfes & rockes. And generally the saltwater fish are soe much preferred before them that come from fresher waters, That M Philippus was not ashamed for to deride his hoaste for serveing on the Table a pike taken from fresh water. Itaque Terentius Varro, Nullus est, inquit, hos seculo nebulo tam ac Chinthon, qui non iam ducat nihil sua interesse, utrum eiusmodi piscibus, an ranis frequens habeat vivarium, as Columella recites it l. 8. c 16. As good have a pon fish poole of nothing but frogs, as of pikes in fresh-water. <Non omnino eadem, sed plurima habet similia Varro l. 3. c. 17.>

   And nowe for the greate pearle shall wee goe to the greate oyster? If the magnitude of the oyster will advance the hope of larger pearle, wee shall here doe some service. For Pliny will [catchword: direct]

direct us to the Indian seas lib 32. c. 6. where Alexanders friends & Physicians found them a foote long. And Dr Muffet proclaymes himselfe an ocular witnesse, That at his brothers wedding at Aldham-house -hall in Essex, hee sawe a Pelden oyster divided into 8 good morsells, whose shell was nothing lesse than that of Alexanders.

   My selfe may easily beleeve this though I never sawe those oisters. For when I was an Eton Scholar, one gave mee the over-shell of an oyster, that was at least 15 inches long, & about 10 inches broade. Neere[altered] the thic end (for a span in compasse) it had very beautifull mother of pearle, which might well make up the proverbiall description of all the colors of the rayne bowe, the grasse greene & bright purple interchanging, like [those? altered] [2?] colors in changeable taffata: <the rest of the circumference was a dusky tawny>. This I thought was fayre enough for bignesse, but Eusebius the Iesuite of Nuremburg hath quite outrun our Wonders, For Hee Nat hist. l. 11. c. 66. by the helpe of Pigafeta[altered from Piggafeta], tells us, of Ostrea in mari Indico ita ampliantur, ut unius caro viginti quinque pondo sit aliquando. The edible

   I dare not travayle thither for the greate pearle, least I shall bee disappointed in greate oysters, as in greate muscles. But this truely I wonder, that wee doe not make better use of thiese huge oyster shells, which are bordering on Essex, for Cabinets, side-Tables deskes, & cupboords in chambers of garish ornament. By a tenacious mortar <or cyment> they may bee fastned on the outside of Sumer-houses, pigeon houses, aviaryes & houses of delight; Their substance being thic, firme, sollid, & very durable.

   As far as I have tried & tasted greate oysters, (& some I have eaten as big as a horses hooffe,) they deserve noe better Motto than this [Greek: ouk en to megalo to eu]. I thinke such greate oysters are not fit to bee eaten rawe, or otherwise than well pickled, or rather as the Italians in moderne ages doe generally eate oysters, Namely broyling them in

   Here a Methodiste will fall upon mee for rangeing thiese shellfish, that doe soe much differ in taste, colour, substance, & bignes, under the same name of oyster, & as if they were of the same kinde. But this is noe point of my [case? altered], I follow the words, as I find them in all the languages, that

   And lastly to iustify my methode this Eusebius bestowes on us a very helpefull line, importing that the greater Shelfish yields the greater pearle, though not soe frequently; & to <soe> escapes the smart of the later end of the Satyres [exameter?], Parturiunt montes. his words are thus: Quoque grandior concha est, annosiorque, eo ferunt in eius capaciore vulvâ maiores generari Margaritas, propterea è grandioribus [catchword: pau-]

paucas adipiscuntur. Thus wee see the largenesse doth not carry us out of the line of our pearlebearing shelfish, Though this bee intended of the truest sort of pearebearing shelfish.

   And nowe lastly wee are come to enquire of the right & best sorte of Orientall pearle. For which wee must goe to the purple-bearing shellfish, which for that cause is called purpura, & murex, beeing emphatically or supereminently those Conchylia which are sufficiently distinguishable from all sorts of oysters, muscles, or other shellfish, by the purple liquor, which is enforced from their mouthes, as in another treatise I have exactly informed from Caneparius, & others. And of this purple fish I may take the best, & fullest accompt from the same citation of Caneparius de atram. 5 desc. c. 8.

   Murices et purpuræ sunt maris piscium quædam genera, inter Conchylia enumerata a quibus olim elici consuetudo erat sanguinem nobilem, succumve illum medijs eorum faucibus contentum: iccirio incolæ venabantur conchylia, eaque ferramentis scindebant, ex quibus pupureus liquor profluebat, quo inde tingebantur vestes

   Does not Caneparius in this laste clause take our Oyster & Muscle pearle, as descended of the same shellfish of which the Orientale pearle is descended? But in the following words hee seemes to insist upon the right purple shellfish. A sole enim cuncta elementa illustrantur, sol enim est fax cælestis, et naturæ gratia, et ideo Vetruvius loco de purpuris inquit, non in omnibus locis, quibus nascitur unius generis colorem, sed solis cursu temperatur; Itaque ostrum quod legitur in Ponto et Gallia, [catchword: (hæ]

  Tyrioque ardebat murice lana. Æneid. l. 4.

   And from thiese directions, Wee may distinguish[altered] the excellency, order & precedence of the pearle of India, Arabia, the Erythræan & Topraban pearle. quemadmodum Margaritis evenit &c sayth Hee.

   I must not deny, That sometimes our oysters upon the coaste of Britaine are full of a bloudy iuice, And I shall never forget, Howe at the very begining or a very little before the sitting of this long Parliament, I sawe a lettre written by Dr Holesworth to some of us then students in Cambrige, attesting

   But thiese Prodigyes of bloudy oisters must not extinguish the difference betweene oysters & purple shellfish. <Neyther is it altogether a prodigy for oysters to bee bloudy, except other like circumstances bee added.>

   And here I have ran my farthest race. For I can heare of noe more shellfish, That beare the pearle, eyther in fresh water, as Crevisses, Shrimps, (locustellæ, astaci, Carabi); or in Sea water, as cockles, pectines; crabs cancri, Lobsters (locustæ marinæ) periwinkles or Whelkes (Cocleæ marinæ) Scallops (pectines Veneris), Shrimps (Squillæ), or Prawnes called [catchword: by]

by Rondæletius Crangones; or amongst the terrestiall shelcreepers, such as are our Cocleæ terrestres, snayles, or Tortisses Testudines; or amongst those Stones, which beare in them flesh, fish or serpent, some edible or poysonous substance the relic or [carka?] carkasse of a drowsy animation, of which kind I have seene some prooffe, & of which the truely honourable Mr Robert Boyle gave us his experimentall testimony. <&> Of which Caneparius gives accompt desc: 1. c. 6. In none of thiese have I yet heard of any true pearle.

   Therefore to this I shall only adde what I find in the foresaid Eusebius lib 11. c. 64 De conchylijs pauca nunc dicamus. Non præterit beatitudinem tuam (sayth hee say to the Greate Don d'Olivares) Aristotelem Pliniumque Aristotelis in hac ratiocinatione sectatorem varia sensisse de Margaritarum generatione. Igitur hi pedem et una in re tantum sistunt, nihil assentientes in reliquis, neque quod pelago vagentur, neque ullo unquam tempore moveantur, ex quo natæ sunt, fateri volunt. Esse in maris profundo prata gramen thymosum gignentia volunt, et ea se vidisse affirmant; generari, ali, coalescereque ibi, et (ut in ostreis videmus) circa se multiplices natos, nepotesque procreare inqui-[catchword: unt.]

   This I produce because Hee voucheth it To the Admirall of Spaine, & High Chamberline of the Indians, as to him well knowne & proved in the presence of such store of eyewitnesse: Soe it seemes thiese shally hens that lay pearly eggs are a more reall treasure, than Esops hen that layd golden egges.

   Fame tells us, That roaring claps of thunder will make the Muscles, oysters, & purples cast their

   But will not the Shelfish run away with the pearle? are they perfectly stationary, constant to one place, or sometimes locomotive? This I hope the old Schooles will resolve. For cockles, Dr Muffet affirmes, That they themselves are soe hot of nature, that they leape & fly above water like an arrowe in the Summer nights to bee cooled by the ayre., And I thinke it is so noted by Pliny l. 9. c. 29. May not wee phantsy, that as Magots, pismires, gloewormes, & other creepers, by the summers sun, at least in better insolated climats get wings, soe some of thiese Shellfish, by their long Travayles in the Maine towards the Sun, doe by heate improve their kind, shape, & animation, & obtaine some degrees of fins, wings, or sayles; as[altered] is observed in Mr Ligons Wonder, the Carvill[altered from Carvell], which delighted his voyage to Barbadoes, raysing up out of his owne body his maine maste, spreadding his sayles, which hee makes of

   To our philosophicall question the foresaid Eusebius gives this binding answere; Etsi quæ interdum conchylia, uti ego ipse vidi[altered from vide], ostrea in diversis maris Oceani littoribus arena involuta in littore quis viderit, ea raptata esse tempestatibus e fundo dicet, non ipsa ultro venisse, quod rore nitido matutino candescant, quod turbido flavescant, quod sereno cælo gaudeant, quod tonante torpescant, et cætera huiusmodi non sunt ab his literarum ignaris ad unguem quæritanda [catchword: Pingui]

pingui res tractanda Minerva, Maiores tamen Margaritas iacere profundius, mediocres altius, minimas in supercilio fatentur, sed a ratione reliquorum deviant. Non est <esse> in insectâ belluâ torpenti rationem hanc arguunt - - - propterea non vagari, sed creari, nutririque in profundiore loco, quod pauci, quodque raro audeant urinatores ad eas legendas ad ima sese immergere, tum polyporum metu inter conchas venatus causa vagantium, quia sunt carnium concharum avidi, et monstrorum formidine aliorum, tum etiam ne deficiant in longo tractu halitus, unde datur conchis profundi maris hospitibus crescendi copia; &c

   Thus much of the generation of pearle, & as much as I knowe of the kinds of pearlebearing shellfish.

   But nowe the best sport is to knowe the Art of Taking them the time, place, manner, & perquisites which wee may best learne from the same authenticall eyewitnesses.

   First, they affirme the best seasone to bee for fifteene dayes in the moneth of March or Aprill.

   2dly. Their divers doe then make search in what places they find in that spring greatest store of

   3 To these places they repayre with hired boates, & there build themselves huts, tents, or cottages in the neighbour shore.

   4 Thiese divers arts, howe they annoint theyre noses, & stop their eares with oyle, larde or other [letter deleted] tallowe, & howe they fill their boates with thiese pregnant shellfish, I refer to Euseb: l. 11. c. 65.

   5 Being thus gathered in baskets, & brought to shore, the hot sun will soone open them, & shewe the treasure.

   The particular scene here, is where the Paravians inhabite, Where the shore is said to bee 50 legues long, & on it tricena oppidula, 300 villages or Towneships.

   An Indian Merchant long agoe gave mee an Instrument by which I might speedily find the true value of pearle, & the worth of any iewell. It conteind 3 sylver plates, laminas argenteas, like blades of a knife, at one end fastend together, but soe

   And most certainely they may bee wittily, & thereby effectually applied to cure the most dangerous, & strangest diseases of the spirite, proceeding from phantsy, imagination, & melancholy.

   Of thiese kinds of Iewells, which by subtile or superstitious antiquity have beene reputed Magicall, I formerly gave you a liste, & some descriptions. but of all iewells those are the rarest, which are not to bee ranged of any knowne kind, but doe occurre ready shaped, [Greek: hos hapax poioumenon], as once only formed by some expresse iniunction of the Vniversall Architect, & by some extraordinary influence, or cooperation of stars, angells, or other divine instruments, for some generall, eminent or specificall purpose.

   Of which kind might bee the Iewell of Pope Clement the 7th, In quâ aureola conspiciebatur macula, quæ intra Solis motum singulis diebus oriebatur, et occidebat.

   And to wracke, or ruffle the readers expectation with a harmelesse imposture, (though I am noe mountebanke, [catchword: nor]

nor truely have the philosophers stone, yet I am owner of a stone, That hath purchasd many mountaines of gold, more riches than at one time can bee seene in all the Marts of Europe, built as an innumerable store of bridges over the face of the maine ocean, given us another world, & is in many resemblances soe like the Saviour of the World, that it seemeth to bee the expresse image of the fathers love, <of> his all-attracting [goodness? altered], & <of> his allpenetrating force.

[And? altered] though the vertues are soe excellent & divine, yet is it of an unsightly guise, & soe stupid were all the ancient & inspired Heroes of the old World, That though they sawe, beheld, & admird the Vertue of it, yet noe one mortall seemed to take care to apply it to any one of thiese excellent uses I meane for the maine accomodation of humane-kind.

        - - Lapis est cognomine Magnes

    Decolor, obscurus vilis. Non ille repexam

    Cæsariem Regum, nec candida Virginis ornat

    Colla, nec insigni splendet per singula morsu.

    Sed nova si nigri videas miracula saxi,

    Tunc superat pulchros cultus, et quicquid Eois

    Indus littoribus rubrâ scrutatur in algâ. - -

- - Quæ tibi, sæve puer, non est permissa potestas?

    Tu magnum superas fulmen, cæloque relicta

    Fluctibus in medijs cogis mugire Tonantem,

    Iam gelidas rapes, vivoque carentia sexu

    Membra feris: iam saxa tuis obnoxia telis,

    Et lapides suus ardor agit ferrumque tenetur

    Illecebris; rigidæ regnant in marmore flamæ.

This Claudian sang, about 1400[altered] yeares before hee or others tooke notice of the Maine Excellencyes of this dusky pebble.

   They use to put sullyed, or palled pearles in the crawes of pigeons[altered from pegeons] to digest them into better lustre. Let this bee at their hazzard; but my selfe observing howe apt poultry are to picke up shining & bright pebbles, & sometimes finding fayre alectorian, & chelidonian stones in the gizzards of Cocks, Capons, & swallowes, I conclude it a point of comendable diligence for them that keepe pigeons, turtles, capons, swallowes & other birds in cubs chambers, or aviaryes, to put downe their throates such hard & beautifull pebbles, as may bee found in shores, & some soyles; For if they bee retaind some time in the gizzard, they may augment their beauty & vertue.

   That an oyster, & consequently any other shellfish, may bee petrifyed, (as other things allso may) into a perfect rough stone, Sir H Wotton hath shewed to all that save his Stu-

   But howe to dissolve them, & therewithall to purify them into a powerfull, sanative, & restorative liquor, & howe againe to unite & fasten this liquor of many small seede pearles into one solid, & firme pearle of immense bulke, & [word deleted] <value>, I must refer to the sonnes of art.

   This is all that I promised, & as much as I can performe in this excessive cold weather, In which I have more neede of [word deleted] Mr Carews best warming stone, than of a pearle as big as my head.

   And to finish a poore, loose, & unprofitable discourse with a good conclusion, [what?] neede wee take such paines, travayle soe farre, & force art & nature for iewells, when if wee looke well about us, & put a due value upon it wee may find within us the best & richest iewells, that belong

         Sir

                Your most affectionate servant

                                              IB.

Ian. 10. 1659.

    (11.)