A relation of ten years in Europe, Asia, Affrique, and America all by way of letters occasionally written to divers noble personages, from place to place, and continued to this present year / by Richard Fleckno.

III. To Mr. Henry Petre from Gant, Anno 42. (Book 3)

Of his Resolution ••o leave GANT. (Book 3)

Noble Sir,

I Have liv'd to see the day, when having lost all 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sinc••, I may thank God for having nothin•• now, nor did I ever know how great a happinesse 'twa••, till I saw their unhappi∣nes••e, w•••• are bemir'd and hog••'d in their own L••••••, and bound to the••r Countries by the ••ie•• of ••••fe and Children: For what avails it such to ••••ve their Bodies free abroad, whilst their Souls are imprisoned at home? or to flie the miseries of the••r Country, whilst they have lef•• Pledges with Fortune there to be miserabl•• still? I speak this in regard of many Engli•••• here, retir'd (as they imagine) from th•• Noyse and Tumult in England, whil•••• their ea•• are as much beaten with it here, and thei•• minds as much sollicited and perplex'd, as they were present there. They receiving wee••∣ly

Intelligence from their Wives, Frends and Servants there? This, that his house is plunde∣red; that, that his Tenants refuse to pay their Rent; a third, that his Estate is sequestred, &c. when I must make sad faces with them ••or com∣pany, or they cry out, I care not how things go. I answer, If my care could remedy it, I should; And for their Losses, I protest they touch me as neerly, and ••'m as sorry for them, as I should be for my own, and if that suffice not, I am sorry Nature made me not of another Temper and Disposition for their sakes; Neither was this any Sto••cal Indolency in me, who could suffer, nay die for a Friend, but yet without trouble and vexation. In ••ine, I'm so wea∣ried out with this sad sport, as (not to be made miserable at second hand) I'm resolv'd to quit this place, and retire me to Antwerp or Bruxelles (for I'm indifferent for either) you laugh now at my Indifferency, but may I die, or lose your Frendship, which is more, if I find it not an Immense happi••esse to say with Bias, Omnia mea mecum porto, and while others by heaping up wealth on wealth, make themselves at last so cumbersom a load of it, they cannot stir for it; I by reducing all to the narrow compasse of one Portmanteau, travel lightly up and down, injoying that Liberty, Fortune has bestow'd on me, and Nature inclines me to, wanting nor wishing for nothing more (Sir) than your Company, being as I am,

Sir,

Your, &c.