The Hartlib Papers

Worthy Sir,

Yours of October the 23^d with the Inclosed, we Received. The mony we shall[altered] expect of the Carrier. We Conceive Itt ready, vpon demand. Your promised Draughts of Comenius his Design in his Pansophie, we shall with All Thankfullnes embrace. Sir Concerning the Inclosed, (True Emblems of the Authours Spiritt) Had we not had sad experience of the Wommans Temper, We could not haue but Admired, that so much Falshood mixt with so much Gall of Malice should haue dropt, or Rather flown from her. Truly Sir We profess our selves more then ordinarily engaged to you, for this not easily to be paraleld expression of faithfull & Vnshaken respect <vnto vs>. It was An Argument of Great Love that you did not beleive, yea more, that you would not Entertain A Thought of Admitting into your Breast, Those Accusations that Came Steeld with so much (that we say no more) Confident Impudence. But that, you should Communicate to vs the very Originall Copy of our Inditement & that to make the Best Vse of Itt we should think fitt, nay which is more, that you should [as? altered] by sending such an Answer, as we read Inclosed, voluntarily engage your self A Co-object of her Desperate Hate & Malice for our sakes, makes vs at once to Adore the singular, & Gracious Providence of God, & to Admire your owne wise, Faithfull & Loving Demeanour herein.

To the [particulers?] of our Charge, we could easily return you Back A full & Satisfactory Answer. But that wee, As most of those (that too well know here) Look on Her Aspersions, though never so black as No slander, specially in your Eares, which we fully perceive to be strongly sufficiently deaf to such Calummating Insinuations. Besides It's no pleasure to vs farther to wound the fathers Spiritt, with the fresh Relation, of his sonnes sad miscarriages. Only in the presence of the heart-searching god, we profess our Carriage towards your son has been such, That If we haue offended on either Part, it has been, on that of Too much Indulgence. Touching the letter, We Assure you There is scarce A sentence in Itt, in relation to our Defamation but is Fals, either in substance, or Circumstance.

     Sir we desire to look on this As the Grand Act of [deletion] satans Devices & Oppositions, at once to discourage vs, in the prosecution of our Aimes & Endeavours (which haue been, we hope faithfull though weak) for our gods glory, & your sonnes Eternall Welfare that God of power bruise Satan vnder our feet shortly.   That part of your letter which immediately concernd your son, we Communicated to him. They It somwhat toucht him so that he went Aside & wept. There is yet hopes concerning this thing. What remaines, but that with one Accord, we fall down at the Throne of Grace; who can tell but god may effect That for him which Monica persuaded her self, of her then wild Augustine, viz: that A youth of so many praiers & teares should not miscarry. We haue sent you back the letters. Giving you vp into the Bosome of your gracious god, we plight our fidelity for the Continuance of our Vttmost, for your sonnes good, & in him, your Comfort: resting

Bury. October 26. 46.      Yours in soul

                                  Tho. Lye. Js.Tucker.