| Title: | Letter, John Dury To [Hartlib] |
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| Dating: | 22 April 1656 |
| Ref: | 4/3/157A-158B |
[4/3/157A]
[Hartlib: No. 95. April. 22.]
Deare freind
wee use to haue two posts euery weeke from Francfort hither, who brings letters not only for this place but also for Hamburg, which are from Francfort committed to the care of this Post master to bee addressed. the one Comes on Monday the other on Thursday: this I tell you of that you may understand that in neither of these posts I haue receiued any from you; & that the lasts weekes post who should haue come on Thursday, came not, but was intercepted; & the matter so contriued that hee suffered the packets to bee opened; & when that was done left his horse, & the post bagge in a medow, where a miller found them & brought them hither. this Postillion is not to bee found since, hee was one of those who dwells in the Territories of Mentz; & therefore it is suspected that this hath beene done by the Direction of that Elector: because there are letters wanting which should haue come hither, & others that should haue gone to Hamburg; Chiefly the Suedish packet which went from Francfort to the Resident Muller who serues Sueden in Hamburg. now if any letters were for me in that packet they are certainly gone; for I belieue that my beeing so long here is a matter of iealousie to the Elector of Mentz who is very inquisitiue after my busines. if I stay one post, or two at the most longer here; it will bee all, therefore I would haue you after the receit of this, not to addresse your letters any more to Francfort but to Amsterdam either to Mr Rulice or to Mr Iacob Balde brother of Frantz: by this you see that my resolution is to bee gone; & I haue cause; because as to my proper worke I am in a manner Idle, & haue Cause to redeeme the tyme, but I would stay till I should know of Mr Secretarie whether any thing was from thence to bee suggested hither; now fiue weekes are past since I wrote, in three or at the most foure I [catchword: might haue]
[4/3/157B]
might haue had a returne if no let was in the way; therefore I resolue to stay but one or at the most two more for an Answer, & then whether any come or no I am resolued to bee gone, for the worke requires it & there are other reasons wherefore I can not stay any longer besides the Consideration of my worke; my purse must bee considered whether I can come to a place where I may haue credit; if no supply bee sent from England when I am in Holland; where I doe not intend to make any stay; for it will not at all bee needfull.
I thought I had sent you the returne which I had from Bremen; but finding no memorial of it I send it now: I haue great hopes that the Dukes of Brunswick will Weymar will further much my worke; one of their Chief Counsellours has written a most affectionat letter to me; (it is hee of Isenach of whom you haue in the second part of my narratiue a particular information) & offers me his aduice to proceed & his cooperation freely & largely; & I belieue, what hee will freely undertake as hee hath done this, to engage the Princes hee will bee able to accomplish; & to bring his & my desires about I am sending an expresse with letters to the Dukes of Weymar that this Counsellour may make use of them for the ende for which I send them. but I shall not need to stay for any answer, when that is giuen I can receiue it where euer I am.
I can get no newes of any part of Basilius Valentinus printed in Dutch 3 or 4. yeares ago. I sent you a Certificat Concerning Gravius which no doubt you haue receiued.
The newes which wee haue here by the last post concerning the King of Sueden are not such as are giuen out at Collen; but the summe is this, that the King hauing refreshed his armie, & finding the Poles gathering [catchword: round about]
[4/3/158A]
round about, & the Quartianer souldiers unfaithfull, did rise from his quarters, & marched with the Bodie of his armie towards Warschaw, to see from thence what the Poles will attempt, & what from that Central place hee is to doe. in his March hee encounterd with a Bodie of Poles of 12. or 13. thousand & routed them, & did force a Passe which a certain Waiwood did attempt to keep him from. the thing which has made the great noise is that Sendomire by a practise of the [Iesuites?] Reuolted & droue the Guarison into the Castel, but to bee reuenged of them they put fire into the Iesuites Colledge & with it burnt that whole great towne, & afterward blew up the Castle also; & aboue a thousand (wherof many were the Chief Poles & Iesuites) were blowen up together with it: of this recouerie of Sendomire they haue no Cause to bragge; but the Chief thing is a Victorie which 12 thousand Poles had of a matter of 2. thousand swedish horse commanded by the Marquis of Baden the Kings Brother in Law, who disputed for his safe retrait to a Cloister, the sauing of his men the space of two houres, & the remainder of those that were not taken or killed beeing gotten there with him did defend themselues two dayes against them so that the Poles could not force the place wherupon they left it & went to the sploile of his Cariages. & of the dead men; & the marquis made his retrait safe to Warschaw: this [left margin: /] is all the Victorie wherof they so much bragge so farre as the information here goes. [H?: ./.]
The Hollandes Ambassadors would haue entered into Dantzick, but the Suedish Generall, that blockes it up would not suffer them to go thither, but brought them to Elbing to the Chancelour Oxenstiern, The Dantzikers sent out 500 horse to bring them in, but Steinbook the Suedish Generall mette with them & defeated them. [catchword: This is]
[4/3/158B]
This is all the newes of Importance which I find here. Remember me to all freinds & what you would haue me to mind for your self or the public when I come to Amsterdam let me haue a memorandum of it in some of your letters. & it were good you should also leaue some margen to your Letters. that the heads of matters may bee noted & reddilie found, in large letters where many different matters are summed up this is requisite. The Lord bee with you remember me to all freinds I rest
your most faithfull seruant
in Christ
This 22 April. I. D.
1656
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