The Hartlib Papers

Deare Friend

The time draweth towards the end, of the warning of thousands of soules to Repentance in the Northerne Islands, & I know that thou mayest se it with open eye. I leaue the Issue of all for the lord to bring to passe, In which short sentence thou mayest Read within my loue & affection to the seed, which is my soules desire may liue, & that it may rather be borne in a manger, then strangled in the most glorious chambers of the wombe; Oh how shall I Ioy in the lord at my returne, if god blesseth me with the sight of that day, to see Saule cutte offe, the mountains of Essaw layd wast, & Ahithophell confounded, veryly thou mayest feele my bowells, filled with the best desires for the life of that, in which my soule takes pleasure, which alwayes hath the Countenance of god. I speake not at a distance, but in the Truth of god, in his power & measure of life thou mayest feele my presence!

God hath bin thus farre wonderfully gratious vnto vs his seruants, whose dread hath gone with vs.

The 29th day of the 5th month we arriued at the Port of Legorne in Itally, & the 6th day of the 6th month we had product to goe a shoare, In which towne for the space of fourteene dayes we had much seruice both with Iew & Gentill, The Gentilles made conspirasies against vs, like as the Saduces & Pharesies against Christ &c: The protestant with the Papist, I was brought in theire Inquisition, & afterwards we all were brought before the gouerner, Some sought our blood, I name them not, least our owne Nation might be most noted for mischeife. Notwithstanding all which, in boldnes in the feare, power & Name of the lord god whoe moued me into theise parts, I and we all cleared our consciences in the sight of god both to the English Irish & Italians, priests & people, as the lord gaue vtterance, & ere we came from thence we sawe the appearance of a seed breaking forth, The English Agent & a French Marchant were convinced, by which they were prouoked vnto loue, & they shewed much kindnes vnto vs, & a Sauoure we left amonge the Iewes, they were much confounded at our speech & life, & soe we left all vpon a search & the towne in a fire, the heabrewes doe looke for some greate Issue & appearance to blaze from a further place, Ierusalem is much in theire eye, which god hath set before my face.

Some gaue a good report of vs to the Gouerner, before that we were brought to him, & he said if that we were sent, & had our commission from the Pope, we should be much honoured in that Nation. but we seeke not our owne, but the prayse, glory & honoure of the Lord.

This Bearer Captain Richard Marshall commander of the Ship Samuell with whome we sayled first from London to Leagorne, where being otherwayes straytened, we againe tooke passage with him whoe was bound for the Island of Zant & the morea which is the borders & enterance of the Turkes dominion & Empire. The kindnes that he shewed vs was veryly soe much in a strange nation, as the perticulers may not altogeather <be meete> to write, which gaue testimony vnto vs of his loue care & tendernes ouer vs. which thing I cannot slightly forget, but in the simplycyty of my minde am Rather obliged, as farre as I can engage an interest of loue in any of my friends, if by any meanes they might be seruicable where they are, for to retorne the answere of loue, for kindnesses which we receiued, And for as much as I haue heard him speake of some purpose of his making enquiry in Ireland, for a place by way of purchase to settle himselfe from the sea voyages. I doe truly desire thy assistance of him, (if at any time he cometh with such a Resolution) in the matter of his Enquirie, I know his confidence cannot be to much built vpon thy integryty, wherin thou art free to favoure him with a promise of thy endeavouring to answere him with thy assistance, as to matter of information aduice & councell, vnto whome alsoe I haue giuen accompt, that he may communicate his secretest intents to the [solernes?] of thy mynde which can retaine much more waighty matters.

Breifly to the freedome of thy disposition, I thus farre Recommend him, as one whoe hath bin tender towards vs, & was not ashamed to Report well of vs vnto our enemies which he had to deale with.

     & with our true salutation of loue, Reaching the

     seed in thee, & the Remembrance of my loue to thy

     wife I Rest thy deare friend giuen vp to the Lord in

     his seruice                      In^o Perrott

Zant 10th 7th month

            57.

               These

             To Docter Worsley

           Surveyer Generall of Ireland

             at his office

                           In

                           Dublin

[top, another hand:]   Quakers papers

[right, a third hand:] Letters from Iohn

                        Perrott Zant

                        september the 10th 1657