I receaved your last letter, Febr. 14, with others which should have come before, but they all came together. I sent to you about xii dayes ago. Yours came together of late, when some have layn by the way a weeke or more, and so they come unto your sister safe at last, and therefore, I tbinck you may so direct them from any place. I cannot conceaue your stay will bee longer at Vienna, perhaps not while this may come unto you; but out of my love and care of you, I would not omitt to send adventure this. For satisfaction of the queries of the R. S. putt yourself to no hazard or adventure, butt leame and make the best enquiries you can of 176 DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENCE. [1669. things in Hungarie, and at distance, by others, and what is neere Vienna or in it, you may observe yourself. Your chief buisinesse must bee to settle a correspondent, who may write unto you at any time and answer your letters, in order to the R. S. or to their secritarie, if need requireth, which must bee some person resident in Vienna, of an ingenious and inquisitiue temper, who make it his businesse to enquire particularly of himself or according to your queries, or what may bee further hinted hereafter. There is an author named Wernherius, or Vernherius, de rebus Pannoniæ, which is Hungarie and part of Austria, who hath writ of all the mineralls and all minerall waters in and about those parts; out of whom Baccius, de Thermis, hath taken what hee writes of such things in Austria, Hungarie, and neere Poland. I doubt whether you can have the opportunitie in any librarie there to looke upon it. You may receave some knowledge about. the mines in your queries by proposing them all, or some, to some of the emperours officers implyed about the mines, which you may find in Vienna, or some practical workmen that hath observed them. Quarries of . . . . . . . . . are probably not farre from the city. The baths of Baden, by Vienna, are mentioned in Baccius, de Thermis. You may enquire of what they consist, and what tryall hath been made of what mineralls they consist. You may enquire about an hot bath by Buda, very hot, which Baccius calls purgatorie, from the popular name. Vitriolun Hungaricum, the best is only worth the obtaining; Cinnaberis nativa, best in lumps; and Vitriolum Crystallinum, and other things you mention; but how you should send them, I see not, sure not by the post, in respect of dearenesse and hazard to bee lost. You must fall in with some merchands that send any goods to Amsterdam, and so putt them up distinctly in boxes; the saline bodyes being apt to relent by moyst ayre; and some smaller quantities of what is singular you may putt in your portmantell. I confesse I should bee willing to receave or see such things. Take as good account, and as particular as you can. Whether you should give any account now, or rather hereafter, to the R. S., I make some doubt; for in your returne you may observe many things, perhaps considerable, in 1669.] DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENCE. 177 those poynts; butt, however, you may signifie them, and write of them, in your letters to mee. You may enquire of Mr. de Bois concerninge thus and myrrha, non arborea, sed fossilis, found at Gradisco in Moravia, whereof you may read in Ortelius his Geograpbie in the cap. of Moravia; read also his chap. De Mansfieldiæ comitatu, where scheyffersteyn are found, and a lake wherin the shape of fishes and froggs are found in stones. I am glad you gave account of so many things in your letters. It was high enough to go up 338 stepps in St. Steph. steeple; and very much that the half moone should stand so longe. The ice showes exceed others in any place. Clusius, the learned botanist, that writ De stirpibus Pannonicis, was over the emperours garden. Endeavor by all means to see his treasure of rarities, and what is remarkable in any private custodie. I am glad you have anatomies there. 'Tis not bard to converse with learned men in those parts. I am sorry the great bridge is broke down, which must much incommodate the citty. How came you to see Rudolphus his glasse, and what credit doth it· beare? Dee I thinck was at Prag in his time. The fountaine at Saltzberg is noble. I could make a shift to understand the Duch writing in it. I like the Turkish foot ensigne well, &c. The Turkish Asper was not in the letter. 'Tis good to see the manner of the executions in all places. I beleeve Nurnberg is the largest towne you have yet met with. You do well to observe fishes and birds, and to learne the Duch names, which commonly are significant, and are set downe with the. Latin in Aldrovardus. By that time you are on your returne, the hearbs will showe a litle in the fields and trees also, which you may take notice of. Enquire what tree that is of which they make musicall instruments; a white waved wood which is called ayre, and sayd to come from Germanie. I bless God for your health, good rencountres and protection of you, and that he would continue the same, is the prayer of your loving father, Thomas Browne.

I was very well acquainted with Dr. Arthur Dee, and at one time or other hee hath given me some account of the whole course of his life: hee gave mee a catalogue of what his father Dr. John Dee had writt, and what hee intended to write, butt I think I have seen the same in some of his printed bookes, and that catalogue hee gave me in writing I cannot yet find. I never heard him saye one word of the booke of spirits, sett out by Dr. Casaubone, which if hee had knowne I make no doubt butt hee would have spoake of it unto mee, for he was very inquisitive after any manuscripts of his father's, and desirous to print as many as hee could possibly obtaine; and, therefore, understanding that Sir William Boswell, the English resident in Holland, had found out many of them, which he kept in a trunck in his howse in Holland, to my knowledge hee sent divers letters unto Sir William, humbly desiring him that hee would not lock them up from 8 MS. Sloane. 1893.Catalogue of Browne's MSS. No. 9, 8vo. vol. iv, p. 463, &c. 9 MS. Sloan. 1854.-Catalogue of MSS. &c. No. 13, 4to. 466 MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE. [1674. the world, butt suffer him to print at least some thereof. Sir William answered some of his letters, acknowledging that hee had some of his father's works not yet published, and that they were safe from being lost, and that hee was readie to showe them unto him, butt that hee had an intention to print some of them himself. Dr. Arthur Dee continued his sollicitation, butt Sir William dying I could never heare more of those manuscripts in his hand. I have heard the Dr. saye that hee lived in Bohemia with his father, both at Prague and other parts of Bohemia. That Prince or Count Rosenberg was their great patron, who delighted much in alchymie; I have often heard him affirme, and sometimes with oaths, that hee had seen projection made and transmutation of pewter dishes and flaggons into sylver, which the goldsmiths at Prague bought of them. And that Count Rosenberg playd at quaits with sylver quaits made by projection as before; that this transmutation was made by a powder they had, which was found in some old place, and a booke lying by it containing nothing butt hieroglyphicks, which booke his father bestowed much time upon: but I could not heare that he could make it out. Dee sayd also that Kelly delt not justly by his father, and that he went away with the greatest part of the powder and was afterwards imprisoned by the Emperor in a castle, from whence attempting an escape downe the wall, hee fell and broake his legge and was imprisoned agayne. That his father, Dr. John Dee, presented Queen Elizabeth with a little of the powder, who having made triall thereof attempted to get Kelly out of prison, and sent some to that purpose, who giving opium in drinck unto the keepers, layd them so faste asleepe that Kelly found opportunity to attempt an escape, and there were horses readie to carry him away; butt the buisinesse unhappily succeeded as is before declared. Hee sayd that his father was in good credit with the Emperour Rodolphus, I thinck, and that hee gave him some addition unto his coat of armes, by a mathematicall figure added, which I thincke may bee seen at Mr. Rowland Dee's howse, who had the picture and coat of armes of Dr. John Dee, which Dr. Arthur Dee left at Mr. Toley's when hee 1 His portrait is preserved in the Ashmolean Museum.-W. H. B. l672/3.] MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE. 467 dyed. Dr. Arthur Dee was a young man when he saw this projection made in Bohemia, butt hee was so inflamed therewith, that hee fell early upon that studie and read not much all his life but bookes of that subject, and two years before his death contracted with one Hunniades, or Hans Hanyar, in London, to be his operator. This Hans Hanyar having. lived long in London and growing in years, resolved to returne into Hungarie; he went first to Amsterdam where hee was to remain ten weeks, till Dr. Arthur came unto him. The Dr. to my knowledge was serious in this buisinesse, and had provided all in readinesse to goe; but suddenly hee heard that Hans Hanyar was dead. If hereafter any thing farther occurreth to my memorie I shall advertize.