The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700

Travel Diary of Georg Christoph Stirn of Nürnberg
Author Georg Christoph Stirn Editor of print source from manuscript H. Hager General Editor Brent Nelson OCR and Proofing Elias Nelson Encoding Robert Imes
This text is based on Hager's translation and edition of the Bodleian ms.
Herman Hager's "Appendix" to his review of K. H. Schaibel, Geschichte der Deutschen in England. Strassburg, Trübner, 1885. In Englische Studien 10 (1887): 441-53.
The author of the travel diary does not identify himself, but Hager accepts Dr. Neubauer’s attribution of Stirn based on biographical evidence (Athenaeum, 17 May 1884, p. 632). Bodleian library Add.B. 67
Appendix. II. The MS. of the Bodleian library marked Bodl. Add. B. 67 contains a diary in German by a student who travelled in Switzerland, France, England and Holland. The name of the traveller is missing, but Dr. Neubauer (Athenaeum, 1884 May 17th p. 632) by connecting the remark at the end of the book that the writer 'was preparing his disputatio inauguralis for the degree of Doctor Juris Utriusque at the University of Altorf for the following year (1641) when he will be aged 25 years' with the Catalogus Candidatorum of Altorf, has clearly shown that it is one Georg Christoph Stirn of Nürnberg. His notes are roughly strung together without any attempt at style; I have translated the original as closely as possible, inserting only rarely in square brackets words necessary for the construction. 474 [Travel Diary of Georg Christoph Stirn of Nürnberg]
1638, July 2nd. Hem (at Dieppe) we left France and sailed in the evening in an English vessel across the British channel; we got on to the vessel with great discomfort, since it could not be moored by the harbour on account of the tide, and we had to pay the French boatmen as much as they demanded for putting us on board. We sailed on through the whole night and the next day, 475 had very fine weather, but because there was no wind at all, we had to pass the next night also on the sea. Early on the third day [marg. July 4th] we came to land, and as the tide was not yet high enough, we were put on shore in a small boat and thus reached Rye (Rie, in the margin Rhea) in England; it is a small town, to which many persons cross from France, although it has hardly any harbour, for the tide runs out so far 476 that vessels can only get in at high tide. Here a great examining goes on and foreigners have not only to give in their names, but must also pay something for themselves and their luggage. Here the same day we took the post; there are three stages to London[*]Ogilby, Britania (1675) says in the Preface: 'The Rye Road has only 3 stages of 20 miles each, as from London to Chepstead' (a manor in Kingsdown, near River Head) '20 miles, to Stone-Crouch 20 m., and to Rye 20 M.;' on p. 61 he speaks of this road as 'a well frequented Road, as conveying you to the readiest passage to Diep and Haur du Grace in Normandy, in France.' (Londen), and we arrived in the evening at Flimwell (Flemwoelt) a distance of 18 English miles. 477 The following day (marg. July 5th) we had a long stage, which we had to break at Tunbridge (Donnenpritsch), taking the other half of the stage on to Chepstead (Chepsted), 22 miles, where we halted for dinner. The third stage was thence to London, where we arrived in the evening. London (marg. Londinum, here is pasted in a plan of London) is the capital of England, very large and populous, built three miles along the left bank of the Thames, of which Owen[*]Epigrammatum Joannis Owen Tiber singularis (1607 London), no 160 Londinium. writes Imbibit ut fontes Tamesis fluuiosque minores; oppida Londinium (MS. Londinum) pauperiora vorat. 478 This river empties itself into the sea two days' journey hence, and yet has even here high and low tide; it rises not far from Oxford (Oxenford) and near its source is called Isis or Ouse, but after the Thame (Tama) enters it below the little town of Dorchester (Dortchester), it receives the name of Thames (Tamesis); other tributaries too flow into it. It has a fine port here, on the side towards the sea large vessels are moored in considerable numbers, and on the other side towards Oxford the little boats, in which 479 people go up and down the river, if they do not want to walk so far in the town. The bridge which leads from the suburb of Southwark (Southwerke) into the city, was at one time built right over with houses and shops, of which however a third part was burnt down five years ago. The city itself has yet other suburbs above and below it, fine streets and large squares, chief amongst them Goldsmiths' Row, Shoe Lane and King Street. The open space where people are executed is called Tower Hill; the manner in which 480 executions are conducted here has been noticed by Sincerus[*]Justus Zinzerling published his travels in 1616 under the name of Jodocus Sincerus (Rye p. 131). p. 308. Another fine, pleasant open space, planted with trees, is called Moorfields, where on Sundays the young men and ladies are accustomed to take their walks. Charing Cross (Charingcrosse) [is] a square, in which there is a monument that king Edward I had put up to his wife Eleanor, daughter of king Ferdinand III of Castile. Not far from this are the Royal Mews. There is besides another large open space, on which the prentices wrestle on Sundays. 481 Here I saw (1) St. Paul's Church, a grand, very large building of remarkable length, built in the shape of a cross. The roof of this Church, as of almost all the churches in London, of which there are 122, is covered with lead, and so is the great square tower; this tower is very high and massive, and from the top of it one can look right over the town, building operations are going on now at the Church, there are various places in it from which preaching is possible, and it is said that some princes and noble perso¬nages lie buried there (2). Westminster (Westmünster), it faces west, where formerly the temple of Apollo 482 is said to have stood. It is a most magnificent building, adorned with many marble columns; here the kings are crowned. King Henry VII. A. D. 1502 had built on to it at a cost of 14000 pounds sterling a very beautiful and costly chapel as a burial-place for himself and family. Many kings lie here, whose monuments are very well [described] by Zeiller[*]Martin Zeiller's Itinerarium Magnae Britanniae, das ist: Reyss Beschrei¬bung durch Engelland, Schottland and Irrland, Strassburg 1634 in 8. p. 177 foll., and about them a special book[*]Camden's work, entered on January 21th, A booke called Reges. Reginae, Nobilij et Alij in ecclesia Collegiata. Beati Petri Westmonasterij sepulti vsque ad annum reparat(a)e salutis Moo VJd (Arber, Transcript of the Registers of the Company of Stationers of London, III p. 56). — Valens Arithmaeus was Professor of Poetry at Frankfort (Rye p. 177, Schaible p. 306.) in 4° was printed A. D. Moo and afterwards enlarged by Valens Arithmaeus under the title Mausolea Regum, Regina-
483rum, Dynastarum, Nobilium etc. Londini etc. and published in 12° in 1618 at Frankfort on Oder. But as the latest epitaphs are not in it, it is to be hoped that a new edition of this book will be brought out. The epitaph of Buckingham (Bubingam) is very beautiful, Mr. Bernegger in Strasburg has had it printed. The monument to Buckingham's parents is very fine, as are also those of the Duke of Richmond and Lennox (Lenox and R.), of Lady Cottington, and of Francis Holies (Hollis), [third] son of the Earl of Clare. In the Church is also [that] of Geoffrey Chaucer (Galfridi Chauzers), an old poet, also of Ed. Spenser (Spenceri) and Michael Drayton, who were also famous poets. Of W. Camden as follows: qui fide antiqua et opera [assidua][*]The words in brackets are from John Dart, Westmonasterium. 1723 vol. II pp. 67, 68. Britanicam antiquitatem ndicauit [indagavit], simplicitatem inatam honestis studijs excoluit, animi soler-tiam candore illustrauit, Guilielmus Camdenus [Cambdenus] ab Elisabetha R. ad regis armorum (Clarentij titulo) dignitatem evocatus, hic spe certa resurgendi in Christo s. e. obijt ano Dni 1623. 9. Nouemb. ætatis suæ 74. The epitaph of Isaac Casaubon follows close by 485 Isaac Casaubon (doctiorum quidquid est assurgite Huic tam colendo nomini). Quern Gallia Reip. literario [literariae] Bono peperit, Henric IV. Francorunm Rex Invictissim Lutetiam Literis suis avocatum [evocatum] Bibliothecæ suæ præfecit, charumque deinceps dum vixit habuit eoque terris erepto Jacob Mag. Brit. Monarcha, Regum Doctissim, doctis indulgentissim in Angliam accivit, munifice fovit, posteritasque ob doctrinam æternum mirabitur. H. S. E. invidia maior. obijt aeternam in XPO vitam anhelans Kal. Jul. MDCXIV set. LV viro opt. immortalitate digniss.; Th. Mortonns Ep. Dunelm. iucundissimæ quoad fieri licuit consuetudinis memor P. R. S. P. C. V. MDCXXXIV. Qui nosse vult Casaubonum, non saxa sed chartas legal, Sic perfuturas [superfuturas][*]Dart, Westmonast. II p. 68. marmori, ut [et][*]Dart, Westmonast. II p. 68. profuturas posteris. 486 Thomas Richardson too lies buried here. On the tomb of Edward I lies a great sword which he used, 9 spans long, a hand broad, very heavy. He conquered the Scots and brought hither their king's sceptre and crown, together with the chair in which they used to be crowned; this chair is of wood and of coarse, poor workmanship, under it is a large stone on which the patriarch Jacob is said to have rested when he saw the angels in a dream. On the chair hangs 487 a little tablet on which are some verses that may be read in Zeiller p. 179.[*]cf. Dart 1. I. II, p. 32. In the cloisters there is a library for the use of all. (3) Near to Westminster was the palace in which the kings of England formerly lived; what is left of it is the chamber where the King, Lords and Commons meet when a parliament is held; there, in A. D. 1605, as Barclay tells the story, they were to have been sent up to heaven in smoke. (4). the collegia Ictorum, which the English call hospitia, in English 'Inns', of which the chief are: I. the Temple, in which some Saxon kings have been buried,[*]Hentzner has: 'The Temple has a round Tower added to it, under which lie buried those kings of Denmark that reigned in England.' Rye p. 283 adds in brackets 'meaning the Knights Templars. Hentzner transformed Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn into Grezin and Lyconsin, explained by the English editor of the reprint of t 807 as the names of two Danish kings buried in the Temple! the chapel is said to be like that which stands over the Sepulchre of Christ in Jerusalem, in the choir of the chapel is a stone, on which [is graven] 'obliuioni sacrum'; H. Lincoln's Inn (Lincolns Inne); III. Gray's Inn (Grayes lane) etc. (5). In the Town Hall called Guildhall, well built [there are] the statues of two giants, Gog and Magog (Goe Magot Albiong and Corineus Britannus).[*]The names of these two giants were originally Gogmagog and Corineus (Guildhall huge Corinaeus Rye p. 139); the name of the former has been split in two, and one of the giants is now called Gog, the other Magog. Corineus is one of the principal characters in the old tragedy of Locrine, once attributed to Shakspeare; he is one of the two brothers of Brutus who are companions in his wanderings; Brutus details the history of his wanderings from Troy, until
upon the strands of Albion
To Corus haven happily we came,
And quell'd the giants, come of Albion's race,
With Gogmagog, son to Samotheus,
The cursed captain of that damned crew.
T. W. Fairholt, Gog and Magog, London 1859. (6). The old merchants' 489 Bursa, which they call Exchange, an imposing square building with fine corridors and vaults; in the space below, where the merchants meet, is the coat of arms of the founder, above, all round the courtyard, are the statues of all the kings of England down to the present one; four corridors run round above, where all kinds of wares are sold. The new 'bursa' is not so large, neither does it contain so many goods. (7). London Tower, or the Fortress, which is called in British Bringwin and Towgwin[*]Camden, Britannia I p. 4 Bringwin and Towergwin.; 490its shape is that of a square, without wings, it resembles a strong castle, there are many large pieces of ordnance on the top of it behind the parapets or bulwark running round; here great men are kept prisoners, and there is, in the large square within, a scaffold on which such are executed. Within the Tower is besides to be seen the Royal Mint. In the armoury there are to be found strange spears, many arrows, shields, halberds, muskets, guns, suits of armour and the like; 491 amongst others the old weapons of Henry VIII,[*]In the Badenfahrt these weapons are enumerated, and Rye p. 19 translates 'langes rohr and fäustling' by 'long barrel and stock'. In Cellius, Eques Auratus Anglo-Wirtemb., 1605 p. 86 the passage runs Monstratur ibidem . . . sclopetum longum, et manuarium quod ab ephippii arcuto pendens gestasse dicitur, Musketis, ut vocant, nostris ferè comparandum. Is not a long hand-gun meant? cf. Meyrick, Critical Inquiry into Antient Armour p. 46: 'si quis clericus . . . . tormentum quoduis manuarium, id est, sclopetum . . . if any clerk shall carry . . . any hand-gun, that is, harquebuss.' — There is another passage in the Badenfahrt on which Cellius' translation throws light. Rye p. 16 translates '(ein kleines knäblein) colorirt dermassen mit seinem zünglein' by 'threw such a charm over the music with his little tongue'; 'coloriren' of music occurs in Scheidt, Grobianus (1551): wie die Musici offtermals under die fuergeschribne notten ire laeufflin machen, und das gesang colerieren, doch alweg wider in schlag komen (Germania, 1884 p. 348), Cellius (p. 81) uses for it: agilima sua lingula tàm celeriter voces variabat.
E. Kölbing, Englische studien. X. 3. some suits of armour as used for ballets, and one very strange one which a fool is said to have worn, also a wooden piece of ordnance on which is written 'quid opus est Marte, cui Minerva non desit'. In another room we saw much imposing gold, silver and silk tapestry, likewise royal chairs, apparel, bed furniture and the like, of great value, especially a beautiful cushion which Queen Elizabeth worked in prison. Furthermore we were shown here 492 a fine horn of a unicorn of fair length, a gold font in which the king's son was baptised, six large silver candlesticks brought over by the king from Spain, four large gilt flasks, two high gilt beakers, a drinking vessel of terebinthus (? MS. turpentin) and a large sword which Pope Julius III. gave to Henry VIII. Besides these are to be seen here a few pairs of lions, a leopard, a lynx, and an eagle; also a very large snake skin. The Royal Palace, called Whitehall (Weithall) 493 is not very splendid, but it has some fine rooms and apartments, in which [are] many fine pictures, particularly of Rubens (Rubentz) a Dutchman; in one gallery there are on old paper shields all kinds of beautiful emblems. By the side of the Palace is a garden. The Queen's Palace, called Somerset House (Sommerseth), a large and beautiful house, with a square courtyard inside; this is more beautifully built than the King's Palace, and there are also far more costly things to be seen in the rooms, such as pictures and all kinds of silver plate. 494 York House (Yorkenhauss) which belonged to the Duke of Buckingham, which is much grander than the rest as regards rooms, noble pictures, statues and other objects of art; in the garden hard by are some boars. In the special palace of the Prince of Wales (Wallis), the king's son, are also to be seen fine pieces of painting, in the gardens [is] an ostrich; we have not seen the king's statuary and library which are likewise there. In the art museum of Mr. John Tradescant[*]John Tradescant, one of the earliest naturalists of Great Britain, died 1638; his son John Tradescant published in 1656 Musaeum Tradescantianum or a Collection of Rarities preserved at South-Lambeth neer London. [are] the following things: first in the courtyard 495 there lie two ribs of a whale, also a very ingenious little boat of bark; then in the garden all kinds of foreign plants, which are to be found [enumerated] in a special little book which Mr. Tradescant has had printed about them.[*]Mus. Trad. p. 41: 'A Booke of Mr. Tradescant's choicest Flowers and Plants, exquisitely limned in vellum, by Mr. Alex. Marshall.' In the museum itself we saw a salamander, a chameleon, a pelican, a remora, a lanhado[*]Mus. Trad. p. 6: lanhado is mentioned amongst snakes. from Africa, a white partridge, a goose which has grown in Scotland on a tree,[*]On the so-called Barnacle Goose cf. M. Müller, Science of Lang. II p. 585 foll. a flying squirrel, another squirrel like a fish, all kinds of bright coloured birds 496 from India, a number of things changed into stone, amongst others a piece of human flesh on a bone, gourds, olives, a piece of wood, an ape's head, a cheese etc; all kinds of shells, the hand of a mermaid, the hand of a mummy, a very natural wax hand under glass, all kinds of precious stones, coins, a picture wrought in feathers, a small piece of wood from the cross of Christ, pictures in perspective of Henry IV and Louis XIII of France, who are shown, as in nature, on a polished steel mirror, when 497 this is held against the middle of the picture, a little box in which a landscape is seen in perspective, pictures from the church of S. Sophia in Constantinople copied by a Jew into a book, two cups of 'rinocerode' (the horn of the quadruped, or the beak of the hornbill?[*]P. B. Duncan, Introd. to the Catalogue of the Ashmolean Museum p. 4, mentions as deserving especial notice 'the beak of the helmet hornbill, from the East Indies, which has been but lately imported in the entire state, having been long suspected to have been a foolish imposition contrived to deceive Tradescant.' The younger Tradescant bequeathed the Museum in 1662 to Ashmole who presented it to the University of Oxford.), a cup of an East Indian alcedo which is a kind of unicorn,[*]The Mus. Trad. does not give Alcedo, but it mentions (p. 53) Albado horn together with Unicorn horn and Rinoceros horn. many Turkish and other foreign shoes and boots, a sea parrot, a toad-fish, an elk's hoof with three claws, a bat as large as a pigeon, a human bone weighing 42 pounds, Indian 498 arrows, an elephant's head, a tiger's head, poisoned arrows such as are used by the executioners in the West Indies — when a man is condemned to death, they lay open his back with them and he dies of it — an instrument used by the Jews in circumcision (with picture) 499 some very light wood from Africa, the robe of the king of Virginia, a few goblets of agate, a girdle such as the Turks wear in Jerusalem, [a representation of] the passion of Christ carved very daintily on a plumstone, a large magnet stone, [a figure of] S. Francis in wax under glass as also of S. Jerome, the Pater Noster of Pope Gregory XV, pipes from the East and West Indies, a stone found in the West Indies in the water, whereon were graven Jesus, Mary and Joseph, 500 a beautiful present from the Duke of Buckingham, which was of gold and diamonds affixed to a feather by which the four elements were signified, Isidor's MS. of de natura hominis, a scourge with which Charles V. is said to have scourged himself, a hat band of snake bones. In order that the common people may while away their time, they have bear- and bull baiting, which are a great pleasure to see; comedies also are performed, but not with so much grace as in France, although they represent gestures and 501 postures particularly well. The citizens are also in the habit of practising wrestling and fencing. Games of ball are not so common as in France, there are some ballhouses, but very few good ones. Outside the city we first sailed down the Thames to the Royal Palace of Greenwich (Grenwich) on the right bank of the river, where we saw the king and the queen and the court dine; there were also many 502 other grand folks present. Otherwise there is little to be seen in the palace, but the garden is fairly pleasant, at the back of it the queen has built a new pavilion in a peculiar style, which has a fine view on to a hill whereon stands a house. After that we walked along on the other bank, — we crossed the river at Putney (Putnay), — until we came to Richmond which lies nine 503 English miles from London: it is likewise a Royal Palace, built on the right bank of the Thames. There we saw dining together the two sons of the king, the elder Charles, Prince of Wales, the younger James, Duke of York. Whatever else is to be seen in the palace, is described by Sincerus p. 309 fin. Thence again across the river to Hampton Court (Hambton court), 3 miles distant, the finest palace in all England, on the left 504 bank of the river; what is to be seen there (marg. July 13th), Zeiller gives p. 196 foll. Near it lies the little town of Kingston (Kingsthon). From thence, at Staines (Stanes) across the Thames bridge to Windsor (marg. Vindesorum), 8 miles, a town with a castle on the heights, lying on the right bank of the river, where the Knights of the Garter are invested. The castle is very well built and the chapel, in which the knights 506 are invested, is beyond measure beautiful. What is to be seen in both may be found in the above mentioned Zeiller p. 198 foll. From here (marg. July 14th) we proceeded to Oxford, where we had first the Thames to the right; we passed then near Henley a bridge and had our dinner at Nettlebed (Nedelbett), 20 miles. We kept the Thames to the left until we came over a bridge at Dorchester (Dortchester), then to the right 506 up to Oxford, 14 miles, where we rode across the bridge. This town (marg. Oxonia) lies to the left of the Thames, called here still Ouse, as stated above p. 478. There falls into it another stream called Cherwell. It lies in a grassy plain, surrounded by pleasant wooded hills, nicely built, as well as clean and healthy. Here is the celebrated university and library, with 17 fine colleges and as many aulae or inferior schools which are so well built and so richly endowed that this university 507 surpasses almost all others. There are very many students here who are provided with free board and clothing and with long gowns. Each college has its own chapel, library, garden and other pleasant walks. We saw here (1) St. John's College, which is very large, the present bishop has built another on to it, behind which is a beautiful garden, in which a high terrace-walk of grass is made; (2) Christ Church, partly built by a cardinal 508 who fell into disgrace (marg. July 15th, 1638); (3) Magdalen College, in the court of which, high up, some statues are put up. (4) Queen's College, where we drank out of the great oxhorn and out of a very big cup, presented by a student as a memorial. (5) New College, in the garden of which is to be found the mount Parnassus. (6) Brasenose College, at the door of which a big copper nose is to be seen; (7) Exeter College, where the theological school is. Here is 509 the greatly celebrated library for which a very large building is set aside; of MSS. vetera historica there are few in it, only some fragments of Sallust are said to be there; the library in general is not so excellent as is reported. We saw however the following MSS.: officia Ciceronis, Graecos Palms quam plurimos, proverbia Salomonis in French written by a young lady,[*]Mrs. Esther Inglis (now in the glass case). two catholic breviaries with very fine illuminations, opera Regis of the present[*]The late king James I. king, 510 libros Hist. Vet. Test. latinè, cum figuris aureis, a MS. in the Chinese language, a book written on Indian rind (palm-leaves), many MSS. in Arabic, Hebrew, and Greek, a West Indian idol, an Egyptian idol. In the gallery there are to be found the portraits of many learned men, on the ceiling there is everywhere the university crest, an open book with the words 'Dominus illuminatio mea', with two crowns above and below only one. In another room we were shown various coins, an astronomical compass 511 or calendar made of pure gold,[*]Gilt (in the glass case). a portrait[*]Of Queen Elizabeth (in the glass case). wrought in feathers, Joseph's coat, which he wore when he was sold to the Egyptians.[*]This last item is crossed out in the MS. In a lower room are some skeletons, a human skin, a basilisk, a piece of the salt pillar (of Lot's wife?), two feet of a man who had been hanged, on each of them only two toes,[*]For the visit to Oxford I have taken both translation and notes, with very slight alterations, from Dr. Neubauer's letter to the Athenaeum; in the last sentence only I have not followed him, when the MS. has 'zween füss von einem menschen so gehangt worden, an deren ieglichem nur zwo zeen' and he translates 'two human feet suspended in such a way that only two toes are to be seen on each of them.' a huge shell of a tortoise and many similar objects. 512 From hence (marg. July 15th) we passed again out over the bridge, left the river on our left until we crossed over the bridge at Dorchester, reached Nettlebed in the evening. Next day (marg. July 16th) we had the Thames at our right, crossed the bridge at Henley, left the Thames again on our left, until we rode over the bridge at Maidenhead (Madenhett); from thence we had the river, as also the town of Windsor, on our right and had our midday meal at Colnbrook (Coolbrock), and henceforward had the Thames always on our right; we crossed various streams and came through various villages, till we reached London again, where we stayed 513 four days longer (marg. July 21th). Thence we sailed down the Thames to Gravesend, lying on the right bank of the river, where people usually embark; it is but a poor village, although it has a small bastion on which there are a few guns, and the same on the opposite side of the river; these always fire one in the direction of the other, when a ship arrives from the sea or when one sails, also to drive off the enemy if one should come. There are very large ships here; we saw amongst others the royal ship of immense size 514 which the king has lately had built at a fearful cost; it is called the Royal Sovereign (Sauverain); it is very well equipped with all necessaries, also adorned with gilded rooms and other apartments, so that the like of it may not easily be seen in all Europe. A copperplate engraving of this large ship has been made in London, and also a little book and account of it printed in the English tongue.[*]John Okes and John Aston. Entred for their Copie Sept. 15th 1637 . . . a booke called The discription of the kings great new ship at Woolwich by Master [Thomas] Haywood (Arber, Transcript IV p. 367). Here we waited four days for a favourable wind, and as the wind always remained contrary, we went back to London and waited there twelve days longer From London 515 we went again to Gravesend, where we at once (marg. August 6th) met with a good vessel; we sailed away that same evening (bound for Rotterdam). I have to thank the Librarian of the Bodleian Library for his kindness in sending the MS. to our College library for me to copy, and I am much indebted to my friends Mr. J. Hall and Prof. C. H. Herford for help in many ways, always readily given. MANCHESTER, sept. 8th, 86. Herman Hager.