The Hartlib Papers

Title:Copy Letters, [John Dury] To [Hartlib] And [N.N.?]
Dating:18 November 1639 And 22 November [1640?]
Ref:9/1/95B (PART)-102B: 100B-102A BLANK
Notes:Continuation of letters in 9/1/90; according to G.H. Turnbull, the letter dated 22 November 1640 is from 1639 (see Hartlib Dury and Comenius, 1947, pp. 196-7).
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              Hamburg 18 November 1639
Since my departure from hence to Lubecke & thence to Gluckstad & soe to Stade, Bremen [Vade? for Stade?] & Bremen, 5 or 6 weekes are
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past, In all this Tyme you haue nor received any of mine by reason of my absence from hence in my last I told you[altered from your] the Condition of my State when I come backe from my Travells to Helmestad I intend to sit downe & rest & see what will come of this last attempt For in a publique way I see not what I can doe more After this I purpose God Willing to send you Coppies of all, For now I haue noe time to cause matters to bee written out for you In a word I am now (& soe are the Lutherans of the quarters allsoe) as deeply engaged in the worke as the Swedes were with mee & I with them heretofore Onely I know not how God will provide for mee to subsist & beare the Charges of printing, You know why that I am loath to seeme Chargeable to my Lord Ambassador I will not repeate that which I haue formerly written to shew the Cause why, If I should depend vpon him I should not bee soe free for to my worke & my freedome to agitate in mine owne way is my life in it. Therefore if you can helpe to make mee independent it will bee a maine furtherance to the worke. I find now that if I had but full 60 Rixd: I could venture boldly vpon my journey to Helmestad whereas I am in a straight not daring well to venture goe with 40 Rixd: which is or will bee all
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that I can carry along with mee except I borrow soe much to it as will make it full, 60. This Straitnes of meanes will make mee to doe that there which I have to doe there by the halfes, For I shall not bee able to stay out the mature time of working matters vpon the Spirits of Such as I should deall with all if I bee narrowly stinted in money, & when I come backe againe except I find somewhat before mee to provide mee for this winter I shall bee put to a hard pinch of necessity Therefore I pray you faile not to make over that which you shall receive for mee. Mr Bisterfeild writes to mee thus from Alba Iulia writes thus vnto mee -- Noster in pietate ita prudentia Celsissimus Princeps re ipsa concordiæ studium vrget eoque rem Dei Gratia deduxit vt illa animi intemperies Germanis nostris Solennis judicij[altered] [Greek: atrosia] habentur, Itaque invicto sis animo, non deerunt veræ pietatis ac [& pianæ? abbreviation?] Concordiæ promotores, These are good incouragements But where are the faythfull Cooperatours in the Spirituall & outward part of the worke & duties of Communion but let vs still trust in the Lord & hee will bring vs to rest in the End.
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The Question concerning the platforme of the doctrine of the Bohemian Churches I cannot otherwise resolve then [letter deleted] in referring you to the 2 Bohemian Confessions of faith extant in the Harmonie of confessions & to a certaine declaration which they made at Dr Luthers request of theire meaning concerning the Lords Supper with Luthers preface, But the two [lattine? altered] Confessions are of the latter Bohemian Church & not of the ancient./
           Hamburg the 22 of November 1640
My Busines is now mainely set on[altered] towards the Danes & all these neighbouring[altered] quarters for I have given them all a round taske, & I suppose it will bee taken to heart by the Divines to whom it is proposed because the Magistrates favour the Worke & have promised to cause theire Ministry to bring forth theire judgements on it, The particulars I cannot now impart vnto you but after my returne (God Willing) I purpose to cause the Subject of this negotiation to bee printed & will furnish you with sufficient quantity of Coppies thereof, In my former journey (of which in my last) I have spent a greate deale of my money, & have very little left to fullfill the rest of my Circuit which is to bee followed out towards Luneburg Brunsurg & Helmestad, soe that I am forced
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to borrow 20 or 30 Rixd: For [blank space] I will bee stopt in my Course[altered] I am resolved to seeke nothing of my Lord Ambassador for the reasons heretofore alledged, least I should bee more & more entangled in the dependency which hath heretofore much drawne mee out of the way therefore allsoe when I come backe againe [from? altered] this occasion of spending which now I am goeing to vndertake I will bee very hardly put to it except [I?] something come in to supply my occasions in Winter Season[altered]. I have written to NN. a description of my State & of my resolutions which may or will fall but when my Lord Ambassador doth goe from hence that with his advice I may bee assisted I have nothing more to add for the present but desire you to pray for mee that I may bee delivered from all Straites & difficultyes in my worke
        An Extract of the Lettere to N.N.
Now concerning mine owne State that I may give you occasion to assist mee with your best Councell I will acquaint you with it, You know first the thing which I aime at is to dispose the Spirits of the Divines of this age & by them the minds of other men to the wayes of peace & mutuall edification in the profession of the Gospell Christian
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Religion. To this effect I have laboured these many yeares to sollicite & to exhort the more godly sort to entertaine the duties which are answerable to the Communion of Saints by way of spirituall Correspondency in such matters which tend to ripen the Counsells of peace & mutuall edificacion. The Subject then of our Correspondency hath beene twofold First how to vnite & reconcile the affections of the devided Churches & bring them to a full Conjunction in the love of Christ, to professe with one heart without all offence & Scandall the fundamentall truthes & duties of the Evangelicall profession; Secondly how to Chalke out a way of meditation in Spirituall truthes to bee found in Scripture by which wee may infallibly attaine vnto the knowledge of the meaning thereof, The purpose serveth to give addresse vnto all men how to use the knowledge of vndoubted truthes allready received, soe that thereby they may avoyd Schismes & needles disputes applying all vnto the practise of piety & Charitye allthough in many particular opinions & practises there may remaine a difference, For the Command of the Apostle doth oblige vs (Phill 3. 16.) that soe farr as wee are come wee should walke in the same rule & bee like minded. This is a generall rule & bee observed by all
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men in theire publique profession, & the first part of my endeavours tendeth to bring this to passe amongst the Evangelicall Churches by way of Consultation with godly divines about the meanes to induce & perswade men therevnto & to establish by publique & Common Consent an act betwixt the devided Churches for the reall practise of that which shall bee thought <found> most fitt to bee done vnto this end, But the Second purpose serveth cheifly to give addresse vnto those for those that are Carefull of Science & Studious in Spirituall knowledge & the confusion which ariseth among the learned in disputes & the doubts which proceed from different interpretations of holy Scriptures being taken out of the way by the meanes of a demonstrative analysis of the text wee may at last come all to the vnity of the faith & & of the knowledge of the Sonne of God, Thus you see the true State of my Studyes in respect of my practise & Theorye which I labour to make vsefull for the ending of Controversies Now that I may bee able to worke out these intentions I have offered vp my selfe vnto this kind of life wherein hitherto I have spent my time; The First part of my Intentions hath drawne mee
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hitherto to all the travells wherein I have sollicited the Concurrence of Counsells These Travells have beene full of distractions & troubles & Consequently a continuall hindrance to the other part [letter deleted] of my Studyes which is the proposeing of the Method of Spirituall knowledge which doth require a quiet & settled disposition of body & mind to elaborate all matters belonging to the full proposall of soe vsefull a Doctrine, And besides the quietnes of life the [letter deleted] use of some bookes is allsoe requisite which in continuall travells a man cannot well carry about with him without greate Charges which my estate is not able to beare, neyther have I had hitherto such support & patrons that would or could beare such Charges for mee Soe then for want of meanes the worke hath beene often stopped & allmost Clogged & I my selfe many times reduced to Straites & perplexityes that I scarce knew what to doe, neyther am I yet at this present out of these briars because I have noe assurance of any Certaine maintenance to support mee without feare of distracting wants & to ridd mee from the shifts & sollicitousnes which ariseth from the same For the meanes which I have received[altered] have beene meerely accidentall & in a manner extorted by Mr H: Continuall sollicitation for Mr Comenius & my selfe. For our interests in the public good have been joyned & mixed together even as our
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intentions doe concur & as our endeavours [letter deleted] will in due time, God willing, bee joyned For I am noe way averse from helping forward his enterprises of Learning in humanity, Onely I must bee first through the staight pinches of mine owne busines which I hope may shortly by Gods Grace bee brought to passe: If when I have ended the residue of some journeyes I have now in hand I may bee enabled to reside here with some Competency of meanes to entertaine Correspondency & one Amanuensis to helpe mee in writing If you know how to further this after[altered] the departure of my Lord Ambassador with, whom I am now, from hence you will doe a singular peice of Service vnto my designes, for I must tell you what I feare will become of mee when my Lord Ambassador is gone from hence when hee goeth hee will labour to take mee along with him in to England whether I am not resolved to goe for reasons which Mr H doth know, & I have noe mind to relate but will leave them to your prudent Conjectures, Here vpon it is likely I will loose the small favours which hitherto I have had of him & perhaps by this losse bee deprived of some other benefits which have come from these quarters, Soe I make account I shall bee left as it were alone & to my
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selfe to shift for my Subsistence, In which Case allthough I bee not alltogether voyd of a resolution yet what to doe that I may be independent from the relacions vnder which I have stoode all this while, which have one way hindred mee more then another way bee able[altered] to further mee, yet which I would desire your forecast & Counsell in time that if my Course which I purpose to take should faile your Industry & Care might bee a helpe vnto mee; Here you have my whole State for the present which I recommend to your prayers & to the prayers of others who have free accesse with you vnto the throne of Grace & lay this busines with mee to heart for the publique good of Gods Church & the advancement of his Gospell therein, which is now mightily put at on all sides by all the devices of Satan which hee is able to set aworke, against which wee ought to bend all the Strength which God hath given vs, To his Grace I commend you & rest
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[another hand:]
     Letteres Copies of Mr Duries &
      others concerning Ecclesiasticall
             pacification/.