Page 1
Deare friend.
I Had thought the strength of your aire in Scotland, would have breathed ere now as far as Bridges in Flanders, but it may be the viewing of the finenes of your gallant new Forts, and other fine Monuments of that rare Nation, with the im∣braces of your lately married delight, hath so taken up your time, that you have had no leasure to think of an exiled and banished man in Flanders. I confesse I partly know it by experience, that divers moneths after marriage are most commonly a time of dotage, and many times proves so, even in the most solidest persons, and therefore for once I will excuse your negligence and remisnesse. I confes had it not been so great a journey from Ayre to London, and so unseasonable a time in the depth of winter, and so irrational to desire too suddenly to take you away from the enjoyment of your new delight and joy, I should have presumed often ere now to have prest you with all that little Rhetorique that my dull pen can expres, to hasten your return to London, to have lent my honest Besse your wonted assistance, and to have helped her efectually to have solicited my businesse with my Tyrannicall adversaries there, who through her own ungrounded desire, to have me again in England upon such sneaking terms as my Soul abhorres, and in my poor opinion no way becomes a man of a gallant Ennobled and Heroick minde, who never was engaged in any thing in his life to the purpose, but he deliberately and wisely looked into every crevis of the businesse, before he too much ingaged in it, that it was both just and honest in the sight of God and man, and then was never fearfull to play a game at all, even life to the utmost, nay for a man that by vertue of that power and assisting strength that is a∣bundantly given him from the Lord God Almighty, that therby he is by faith suffici∣ently able to make him incounter with a Denn of the most fiercest Lyons in the world or a Legion of the most dreadfullest men and devils in Earth and hell: Nay upon such tearms (as upon my conscience in the presence of God I speak it) as in my own opi∣nion, can no way be for the safety of my life, which can now never be secure so long as Cromwels absolute Tirannie lasteth, upon any promises that he can make either be∣fore God or man. For in short, by too large experience I judge him to be as false as the Devill himself, and who I wil never trust again while I breath, let him sweare and protest never so much. I say my poor wife out of her over-earnest-desire in Engeland to enjoy my company, hath made therby her self a burthen to her self, and forced me to the greatest use of my braines and patience, that ever I was put unto in my life, to deal with her with that tendernes (with a Salvo to my owne peace) that doth become a man of conscience, gratitude and humanitie, to an object so deare in my affections, severall yeares before from me she knew any thing of it, and who now for about 12. years, hath many times with a good proportion of strength & resolution, gon through so many miseries with me, with so much affection as she hath done; and when she was last with childe, with it, her sicknes and grief, her condition was so sad, that truely I scarse knew how gently enough to handle her, and seriously betwixt the struglings of care and tendernesse, my indeared affection to her made me to have of her, and the strong beatings and compulsions of that voice of God that constantly speakes in my