Volume 5

The works of the Honourable Robert Boyle. In six volumes. To which is prefixed the life of the author / [by T. Birch].

  • Robert Boyle
Date:
1772
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The works of the Honourable Robert Boyle. In six volumes. To which is prefixed the life of the author / [by T. Birch]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    fion of his ftudies allowed Philaretus leifure for recreations, he would very often {teal away from all company, and {pend four or five hours alone in: the fields, and think at random, making his delighted imagination the bufy fcene, where some romance or other was daily acted; which, though imputed to his melancholy, was in effect but an ufual excurfion of his yet untamed habitude of roving, a cuftom (as his own experience often and fadly taught him) much more eafily contracted, than deftroyed. fettlement by the king’s pacification with: the Scots, there arrived at Stalbridge Sir Thomas Stafford, gentleman ufher to the queen, with his lady, to vifit their old friend, the earl of Cork, with whom, ere they departed, they concluded a match betwixt his fourth fon, Mr. FoB: and E. K. [Killiigrew] daughter to my lady S. by Sir—K. and then a maid of honour, both young and handfome. To make his addreffes to this lady, Mr. F. was fent (and Philaretus in his company) before up to London, whither within few weeks they were followed by the earl and his family, of which a great part lived at (the lady Szafford’s houfe) the Savoy ; the reft (for his family was much encreafed by the acceffion of his daughters, the countefs of Barrimore and the lady Ranelagh, with their lords and children) were lodged in the adjacent houfes, but took their meals in the Savoy, where the old earl kept fo plentiful a houfe, that in months his accompts for bare .houfe-keeping exceeded pounds, . Nor long after his arrival, Philaretus’s brother having been fuccefsful in his ad- dreffes to his miftrefs, was, in the prefence of the king and queen, publickly married at court, with all that folemnity that ufually attends matches with maids of honour, But to render this joy as fhort as it was great, Philaretus and his brother were within four days after commanded: away for France, and after having kiffed their majefty’s hands, they took a differing farewel of all their friends; the bridegroom extremely afflicted to be fo foon deprived of a joy, which he had tafted but juft enough of to encreafe his regrets, by the knowledge of what he was forced from; but Philaretus as much fatisfied to fee himfelf in a condition to content a curtofity,to which ‘his in- clinations did paflionately addict him. With.thefe differing refentments of -their fa- ther’s commands, accompanied by their governor, two French fervants, and a lacquey of the fame country, upon the end of Ofober,-1638, they took poft for Rye in Suffex, where the next day hiring a fhip, though the fea were not'very fmooth, a profperous puff of wind did fafely by the next morning blow them into Frawmce. Arrer.a fhort refrefhment at Dieppe, they. travelled through Normandy to the chief city of it, Rewén; but by the way received advertifement of a robbery frethly com- mitted in a wood, they muft traverfe by night; but judging the fear of being appre- hended would deter the robbers from a fudden return to the fame place, after fo recent acrime, the company quietly continued on their journey to Rouén, and arrived fafely at it; where, amoneit other fingularities, Philaretus. took much notice of a great floating bridge, which rifing and falling as the tide-water does, he ufed to refemble to the vain amorifts of outward greatnefs, whofe {pirits refent all the floods and ebbs of that fortune it is built on. From Rouén they pafled to Paris, and having fpent. fome time in vifiting that vaft chaos of a city, they fhaped their courfe for Lyons, where, after nine days unintermitted travel, they arrived, having by the way (befides. divers confiderable places) paffled by the town of Moulins (here famed enough for the fine tweezes it fupplies us with) a part of the French 4vcadia, the pleafant Pays. de foreft, where the marquis d’Urfé was pleafed to lay the fcene of the adventures and amours of that trea, with whom fo many gallants are {till in love, fo lone after both his and her deceafe: being alfo by the way: ufefully diverted by the company of CWO.
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