| Title: | Letter, John Robertson [John Dury] To [Hartlib] |
|---|---|
| Dating: | 31 July 1656 |
| Ref: | 4/3/168A-169B |
[4/3/168A]
[left margin, H: 101. Iulj 31. 56./.]
Deare freind
yours of the 25 Iuly in answer to mine of the 15th. from this place, I receiued yesterday under Mr Rulice his Couvert as also the other of yours dated Iuly 18th. came a few dayes before unto my hands; wherin was the Copie of Duke Ernest of Gotha his letter to the Senate of Nurenberg; & letter from Mr. Voile to which I haue nothing at present to answer but that you should thanke him (when you meet againe with him, or write to him on my behalfe) for the continuance of his Loue & good affection towards my worke: as for that which you mention of Romerswinckel: I belieue it; his beeing in England would not haue profited the Cause much; hee is better where hee is: some Correspondencie may bee maintained with him, & if his resolutions hold to cooperat in public endevours hee may deserue a pension from the state. hee has giuen me a Memorandum to make his desires knowen to his Highness.
one thing at the opening of these letters Mr. Rulice did mention which you may if you think good take notice of, that to preuent the excessiue Charges of the postage, which are doubled when it is perceiued that letters are inclosed, the inclosed[altered] letters should bee shutte with a wafer & not with wax; & then when newes are sent hee Sayes they may bee bound with a threed on the outside of the letter, & nothing will bee reckoned for them, but if they bee inclosed they make the bulke of the letter greater & so double the price.
this much concerning yours of Iuly 18th. now to come to your last of Iuly 25. I haue receiued the Healing Question & redde it Cursorily, for I haue not had time to consider it, hauing beene hurried up & downe without intermission since I came into these parts, that I might not neglect the opportunities of meeting with some with whom I hadde to deale: but I hope to haue time to read it by the next; & shall tell you mine opinion of it. I am gladde to heare that our men in the vniuer-[catchword: sities]
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sities are not altogether careles of the busines of reconcilement, when I come ouer I hope to see the effects of their endevours, & to bee able to confirme them therin. As for Mr Tugentleben hee is gone towards Holstein; whiles I was at the Hague to speake with Monsieur Laurence de Geer. who tels me that Monsieur[altered] Comenius is come to Hamburg from whence hee hath written to him. Monsieur de Geer offers to print the things which I shall impart or aduise to bee printed in this worke, & to cause the same <to> bee translated into high & Low dutch that they may also be printed in those tongues. I shall furnish him God willing with matter enough. in the meane time, I cause the Reasons, mouing us in England to desire a Religious Correspondencie with forrain Churches to bee translated into <low> Dutch & will cause them to bee printed that I may distribut Copies, & that they may bee publickly sold also. & am thinking also of causing some other things to bee printed which I will instantly haue to distribut here, before I goe from hence; for that which I will aduise Monsieur de Geer to cause print; will bee large, as a Combination of many pieces.
Concerning the Weymarian Memorandum you need not to send the booke hither wherof you haue giuen the title except you find a very reddie passage for it, that which will satisfie is the bare description of that which in the English edition of the Biblia Polyglotta is exstant & wherin it hath the aduantage aboue others in that kind. for the booke I cannot send; but if the description of the edition which is upon a sheet of paper bee sent or copied out that will giue them content; but Chieflie enquire [catchword: concerning]
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concerning the other matter of an Agent or Consull of the English nation in Alexandria or Aleppo; & how letters may bee sent unto him. or if no Agent of our nation bee there, if any Considerable Merchand resides in either of those parts: let me know his name; & if a letter of Recommendation to him, from the President of the Turkie Companie could bee had to desire him to giue addresse to such letters as shall bee sent unto him without his cost for the Charges shall bee borne both foreward & backward by the correspondent who is here at Gotha, whose freind is in Æthiopia in Presbiter Iohn his Countrie; who from Alexandria & Aleppo will find an addresse, to conveigh things foreward & backward from the Abyssine Court[altered] & to it. this busines is of more Consequence then you at first can bee made acquaint with.
I haue beene at Leyden, & enquired for Dr. Hornius but hee was not there. I conferred a while with Dr. Hornbeckius & found him excellently set to concurre in my worke: Heydanus & Cocceius were going to a wedding, & I had no time then to stay & so haue remitted the visit intended towards them till another time.
by these adioyned letters which Mr. Rulice receiued this day you will see how it comes that [Schaumius?] hath not either heard from you or you from him: I am sorry that Comenius should haue failed so farre through meere negligence & carelesnes as to haue interrupted your Correspondencie, & wronged the public interest therby; hee seemes to bee Carefull enough of his owne priuat interests to haue prouisions made: his Schollars whom hee sent you haue not beene in any want here but well prouided for from place to place; I pray excuse me to Monsieur Schlezer that I write not; I am very much beset with busines; & I haue nothing in [catchword: particular]
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particular to say to him but to condole his infirmitie that hee is not able to master his inordinat passion; I shall pray for him till I see him, & your self: I rest
your[altered from yowr] most faithfull seruant in
Christ
Amsterdam Iohn Robertson
Iuly .31.
1656
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I made free to open these inclosed to see if Mr. Schaum had any care to satisfie, & what Mr. Comenius was about to undertake. & truly I am more satisfied in the first then in the latter; because I think the latter hath hindered you both from doing what should & might haue beene done.