| Title: | Letter, Peter Figulus To Hartlib |
|---|---|
| Dating: | 19 July 1658 |
| Ref: | 9/17/11A-12B |
[9/17/11A]
Sir
I am heavily troubled in my very soule, at the Letter which Fr Mirandus this last tyme wrote to mee on your behalfe. And how can I otherwise? Seeing in the daungerous case of your health; the Publiqve, & the Case of many good & very usefull Endeavours to the Common Good are sorely endangered. What shall I saye? It seemeth God is heavily angry as yet against us all, & intends nothing but to beat us downe & crush all, till all bee truely humbled, & the sonnes of disobedience truly converted to him. All good men & good Purposes everywhere are much crossed on all sides. And no likeliehood of any universall good successe & atchievement of so many noble & faire ouvertures & Endeavours, which were diversely attempted hitherto of many, for the advancement of Common affaires, till all bee yet more embroiled, & then of our Chaos, God will produce a newe Creation of all things, both of Religion, Policy & Learning. My Father in Law is likewise withering & decaying, & I see a remarkable Change in[altered from on?] him, since these fewe dayes. Sciathica hath beseeched his loynes so stronge, that hee goeth crooked, & can doe nothing. Now I beginne to feare our Pansophia, shall neuer come to perfection; yet as longe I staye here I shall do my best, whateuer I can to advance the Worke. It were a thousand pittie if this most Exqvisite & wholesome Meanes to redresse Universally all humane Confusions in all things, should bee miscarried. As for my part I would take it for a token of a great Indignation of the Lord which hee yet hath ouer us. Truely I must tell you my feare, I doubt it shall euer bee perfited. yet I saye, I shall leaue nothing undone what possiblely I can doe, that hee maye goe on, as much I shall be able to hold him fast to his Hoc age. For hee is full of distractions & Extravagancies. I beseeche you Sir, if those Bookes whereof[altered] the last time I wrote to you, & besides Thom. Coopers Workes & some other of such kinde bee sent to mee hither, I shall owe you thousand thankes, & will readily paye all. Newes from Franckfort the Electors are Come together againe, & haue commanded the Swedish Embassadour to part likewise out of the Towne, as a stranger too: But hee desired them to waite yet awhile till his Masters Newe Embassage one Count de Brahe, who
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is nowe comming, doeth arriue thither. From Dantzig Hamburg &c with this post wee receiued nothing. It seemeth the post is not come yet. For just now about fiue of the Clocke I haue beene with Monsieur de Geer, but hee had no letters yet neither. Onely shewed me a letter which the Gouvernour of Sas de Gant wrote fiue dayes agoe to the States, wherein hee makes great lamentation ouer the pittiefull State of the Spanish Lowe Countries, & that all is come to a desperat confusion, & as hee spakes seemes all to bee lost. Heere is a great debate, feare & jealousie ouer the English, some saye they haue taken 8. some saye of 12. Ships to bee taken of them from the Hollanders. This daye there came a great astonishment in this Towne, as if 18. English[altered] men of warre were cruicing about the Ports of these Countries. The King of Sweden stands upon his resolution, not to march out of Dennemarcke till that King putts to Execution all & euery one of the Conditions whereupon the concluded their Transaction & peace. Count de Brahe the saye is commanded by the King to complement all the Electours at Franckfort, except onely the Embassadors of the Elector of Brandenburg. Here they take it yet for Courrant that the King of France is dead. Wetterus & Nucella came yesterdaye hither, but Wetterus was presently of the Patron to goe the same euening farthe towards Franecker. Nucella stayeth yet here, doeth intend to goe for Franckfort. Voetius from Utrecht hath this daye sent a letter to my Father in Law wherein aboue the ordinary hee commends & extolls those his Labours which hither to he hath seene. Especially That Contra Valerianum Magn. & de Regula Fidei: esse opus qvo vix unqvam solidior nodis Papisticis adhibitus sit cuneus. Hee desires him to hasten that which hee yet hath underhand, if perhaps <left margin: by> this[altered] meanes their Confusions in Philosophia, Politia & Theologia could bee remedied[altered], & those evills which allreadie hange ouer their heads thus prevented. A very ingenious Letter. It is most certaine these men here they are like our Dantzigers, they will not leaue to bee with the Antichrist against Christ & his Cause, till they bee forced to doe it, with their extreme ruine & perill. You & Sweden haue no worser Ennemies as these are. Von Benningen is at Coppenhagen, Maesdam
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is nowe at Flensborg with the King of Sweden [Isebrants?] at Berlin, & all where seeke to undermine good Intentions for the Common good, & to contrule all that maye serue for the advancement of the Protestant Cause. Veluti in reprobum dati sensum. Mr Rulice doeth salute you, wee will all praye to God for the restoring of your good health, for his Glory & the publick good, if it bee his gracous will, which wee not doubt. I praye remember my humble service with hearty Commendations to Mr Dury his Lady & all good friends. Meine hauszfrau da sie schon dreÿ monate vnd etliche tage schwanger gieng, vnd von der reisze sehr geschwòchet worden, ist verunglückt, vnd liegt nur sehr schwer darnieder. My Father in Law doeth salute you & Mr Dury most heartily. Thus I pray God of his mercy to restore your health, to continue your life, & to blesse all your holy Endeavour for his Glory & for the Good of the Kingdome of Iesus Christ, into whose favour I cease not to commend you, remaining as long I liue
Sir
Your
humble & faithfull servant
P. Figulus
Amsterdam d. 19. Iul. 1658.
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A Monsieur
[overwritten in another hand:] 4 [letters illeg.]
Monsieur Samuel
Hartliebe/.
At his house
neare Charing Crosse à
ouer against Angell Londres.
Court.
[below address, another hand: numerals? illeg.]
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