The Hartlib Papers

Title:Letter, John Dury To [Hartlib]
Dating:14 December 1638
Ref:2/6/18A-18B
Notes:Turnbull HDC p192.
[2/6/18A]

Deare freind
Yow haue here the residue of the letter wherof the first part was sent by the last post; I pray God it may doe us good; for I suppose I haue done with this kind of subiect; for I seriously intend not to insist upon such persuasions any more for the reasons which I touch in the latter ende of the discourse briefly. fould uppe I pray yow the former part of the discourse & this together, under a Couert sealed with my Seale & inscribed as it should bee for his Lordship. yow may shew all the world this discourse without difference of persons or feare, & the former also in concealing in it Sir Nathaniel Rich his name & in putting the letter N. in steade of it; & when yow communicate them to others lette it not bee knowen to whom they are written for that ma may cause a preiudice. I haue a large discourse of sixe or seuen sheetes concerning the further prosecuting of my worke which my Lord Ambassador doth approoue; which assoone as Peter hath done with Mr Hubners discourse which is to bee sent unto Comenius, shall bee begunne to bee written out unto yow; wherin I hope euery one will receiue full satisfaction concerning the prosecuting of that worke in tyme to come. in the meane tyme I haue sent yow by one Mr Iohn Cartwright a marchant come out of Russia two tracts one is Idæa tractatuum &c. which was long ago presented unto the uniuersitie of upsall. the other is Explicata Delineatio mediorum Pacis Ecclesiasticæ which was presented unto the meeting held at Stockholm yowr last was of the 9. & this day I gotte that of the 10 of 9ber the packet adioyned to it is not yet deliuered to me. what shall I say? I can but thank yow & Mr Godeman for his loue & yours together. yow ouercome me with matters of meditation & reading so that I shall neuer bee able to fetch yow uppe or almost to recouer my self except I bee freed from this kind of life: & bee able to liue unto my self without distraction. neither Tassius nor Iungius are as yet euer come at me; nor doth the first hold his word unto me which hee so oft tymes hath promised; touching a letter to bee written to yow. what shall bee done to men that are so unsociable? I hope by this tyme yow haue receiued all mine; all yours are come to me. I haue written few by my Lord Ambassador his Conveyance I wonder that in yowr last of the 9. of Nouemb. yow say that my last then to yow was of the 28 of Sept: I will tell yow then what I haue written. in octob. 2. I wrote a short one to lette yow know of writes sent to Dr Alting which should come to yow. item octob. 19 I sent yow one wherin was inclosed another unto the Companye of Mercers to thanke them for their beneficence item 23 dito a large one wherin was a speciall question proposed to bee scanned by our freinds concerning that which was fittest for me to resolue about the further prosecuting of my worke. item in [catchword: Nouemb. 2]
[2/6/18B]

Nouemb. 2. yow hadde one wherin was inclosed another to Sir William Pelham to referre to him the businesse of my curat & to that Effect within it hee hadde one to my curate & a Coppie of his Contract made with me; item a letter to my sister this & the former was sent by my Lord his packet & then by this last <same> post I sent yow by the Conveyance of Mr Rulice I sent yow a programme of one Mr Engelbrecht here concerning his industrie to teach the Latin tongue & with it a letter from Peter to Sir Christopher item Novemb. [6 altered from 9] I wrote again & inclosed within yowrs a letter to Mistris Young to acknowledge her husbands kindnesse to me & comfort hir. item dito. 13 I sent yow the first part of this large one letter to my Lord Mandeuill & dito 20. I sent yow one wherin another was inclosed to my Tenant Mr Gilbye, & another from Mr. Rusdorff to his ould man Mr Corderius & dito. 27. yow hadde another wherin a short draught of Mr Engelbrecht his promise was sent yow. & dito 30. yow hadde a large answer to the doubts yow sent me Concerning the successe of my worke. on December.4. yow hadde one wherin another was inclosed to Mr Goffe Mr Young his partner as I haue beene told here & dito 11. I wrote yow one wherin yow hadde two inclosed viz: one to Sir William Waller wherin I acknowlegde his beneuolence, & another to My Lord Mandevill whose sequell yow haue now here. this is not so much as might haue beene written but yet is someting in respect of my leisure; this I now write at midnight because the day tyme cannot suffise. I am euen wearie. I will continue in prayers for yow doe so also for me & let us giue uppe all unto God. yow cannot desire so much my letters as I would bee willing to write them if I were once free. well but God ruleth all & knoweth wherefore hee doth euery thing therefore let us rest on him his grace bee with yow. I rest
                          yowrs in Christ
Hamburg this 14. Decemb.                Iohn Durye
         1638
I pray yow thank Mr Godeman kindly for his profer to improoue my Lord Of Canterbury his kindnesse towards me I will see how I can make use of it, but &c.
[right margin, Hartlib:]
14. Decemb. 1638.