any peculiar qualifications for foreign travel; without any scientific or literary object, or, indeed, without any purpose whatever, such men as Tom Coryate and William Lithgow traversed every quarter of the globe. An inextinguishable restlessness alone seems to have been their moving principle; added to which, vagabond habits, and an unmeaning curiosity, and the perpetual motion of such men, is pretty well accounted for. Travelling, whether in Europe or in the more remote parts of the globe, in the reign of James I. and Charles I. of England, was not dull and common-place locomotion, as it has since become. All places are now pretty much alike; manners do not differ exceedingly; and personal safety is as common as it is comfortable. The change that has taken place in Europe, and in most parts of the world, within a couple of centuries, is most extraordinary and most encouraging. To a very attentive and sharp-sighted observer, men now are as various, or, perhaps, more distinctly marked, than they were in the rude times of which we are speaking: but the observation is a delicate one, and requires time and patience. The cursory traveller can have neither: he can observe but the surface; and that bears, at least in European quarters, a pretty even polish. It was very different when Lithgow travelled: every thing was striking, rude, and remarkable. Personal risk was run at every moment; manners every where were characterized by violence; and every turn of the road threw the traveller into some petty convulsion. Warfare is scarcely more adventurous or dangerous than was the voyaging and travelling of an unprotected pedestrian, in the good old times, which we so often hear regretted by poets and ignorant sentimentalists. Adventure and danger naturally produce considerable excitement; which was, doubtless, the reward and the inducement to encounter hair-breadth escapes and imminent risks, with such men as William Lithgow.

6

We are not exactly informed of the immediate cause which propelled Mr. Lithgow to forraigne travell.' He speaks very obscurely on this head, but would give us to understand, that political reasons induced him to fly from evil at home, to seek grace abroad. He writes thus mysteriously:

"And thus (have I) in the late dayes of my younger yeeres beene grievously afflicted? Ah, yea, and with more then disastrous injuries over-clowded, O heavy underprop'd wrongs. But hath not the like accident befalne to man before? yea, but never the like condition of murther: Nay, but then preponderate seriously this consequent. May not the scelerate hands of foure blood-shedding wolves, facily devoure, and shake a peeces one silly stragling lamb? yea, and most certaine, that, unawares, the harmelesse innocent, unexpecting evill, may suddenly bee surprized by the ambushment of life-betraying foes. All this I acknowledge; but whereupon grew this thy voluntary

wandring, and unconstrained exile? I answere, that being young, and within minority, in that occurrent time, I was not onely inveigled, but by seducements inforced, even by the greatest powers, then living in my country, to submit my selfe to arbitrement, satisfaction, and reconciliation. But afterward growing in yeares, and understanding better the nature of such unallowable redresses, and the hainousnesse of the offence; I choosed rather, voti causa, to seclude myselfe from my soyle, and exclude my relenting sorrowes, to be entertained with strangers, than to have a quotidian occular inspection, in any obvious object of disastrous misfortune; or, perhaps, any vindicable action, might from an unsettled ranckour bee conceived. O! a plaine demonstrate cause, and good resolution; for, true it is, that the flying from evill, is a flying to grace; and a godly patience is a victorious freedome, and an undaunted conquerour over all our wrongs. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, and I will repay it. To this I answere, mine eyes have seene the revenging hand of God upon mine adversaries, and these night-gaping foes are trampled under foot; while I, from strength to strength, doe safely goe through the fiery tryall of calamities. My consolation arising from the eternall dictum, quos amo castigo, whom I love I correct."

However this may be, after two voyages to the Orcades and the Shetland Isles, and, after surveying, " in the stripling age of his adolescence," all Germany, Bohemia, Switzerland, and the Low Countries, he visited Paris. From Paris, he commences the description of his travels; and it is certainly the most extraordinary narrative we ever remember to have read. Every page has its adventure: he is beaten, robbed, and kicked, in each succeeding chapter. The interference of Providence always saves him from a fatal termination of the catastrophe. The mercy of God likewise shews itself in sundry benefactions and hospitable receptions. He depends, too, upon Heaven, generally, for his support; for he appears to be, in the first instance, very slenderly provided; is often reduced to extreme penury, and as often appears to be replenished: respecting the manner that the latter miracle is performed, he is not especially explicit. The expenses of his journeyings cannot, however, have been very considerable; for Lithgow was a Scotchman, who treated privation as a luxury, and who preferred the pedestrian mode of travelling. His pilgrimage was really performed on foot, and many instances occur in which he stubbornly refuses to ride; unlike Captain Cochrane, who has lately termed his undertakings a Pedestrian Tour in Siberia, whereas, it appears from the book itself, that the gallant Captain only walked when he could do nothing else.

In the year of God, 1609, March 7, Lithgow set forward from Paris, being accompanied three leagues on his way by three of his countrymen. "When his kindest thanks had overclouded their courtesies, and farewell was bid on both sides, he bequeathed his proceedings to God, his body to turmoyling paines, his hand to the burthen, and his feete to the hard bruising way." He gives no description of the occurrences of his journey, until his arrival at Rome, on the ground, that the intervening countries were so well known. Concerning Rome, however, and its antiquities, he disserts at considerable length; and, if he had stayed longer, he would, probably, have written more. But, for some reason, he attracts the notice of the Inquisition, and has some difficulty in getting clear off.

"The period of time, after eight-and-twenty dayes abode, wishing my departure, I hardly escaped from the hunting of these blood-sucking inquisitors, of which the most part were mine owne country-men, the chiefest of whom, was Robert Mophet, a Jesuit, born in St. Andrewes, David Chambers, and of our colledge there, one Gordon, and one Cuningham, borne in the Cannon-gate of Edenborough; and to speake truth, if it had not beene for Robert Meggat, borne neere to Newbattle, then resident in Burgo di Roma with the old Earle of Tyrone, who hid mee secretly for three dayes in the top of his lord's pallace, when all the streetes and ports of Rome were laid for me, who conveighing me away at the fourth mid-night, and leapt the walles of Rome with mee, I had doubtlesse dyed as hot a death as a Lady Prioresse of Naples did afterward, in my second travells: and for better record, Patricke Baxster, now dwelling in Dundy, and then followed the Earle of Tyron, can justifie the same, my custody and mine escape being both within his knowledge. Yet I may justly affirme it, in these parts a man can find no worser enemie then his nationall supposed friend, religion being the cause of it, and, at home, none more false nor deceitfull than a bosome friend."

He is exceedingly particular in his geographical accounts of all the countries he passes through; he travelled on foot, and appears to have been a shrewd and industrious observer, these descriptions must have had a value in his own time. We shall pass them over, and dwell alone upon his personal ad

ventures.

As he travelled towards Loretta, he appears to have been tempted by a carriage and good company. Captain Cochrane would have basely yielded.

"Before I came neare to Loretta, by tenne miles, I overtooke a caroch, wherein were two gentlemen of Rome, and their two concubines; who, when they espied mee, saluted me kindly, enquiring of what nation I was? whither I was bound? and what pleasure I had to travell alone? After I had to these demands given satisfaction, they intreated mee to come up in the caroch, but I thankfully refused, and would not, replying, the way was faire, the weather seasonable, and my body unwearied. At last, they perceiving my absolute refusall, presently dismounted on the ground, to recreate themselves in my company; and, incontinently, the two young unmarried dames came forth also, and would, byno perswasion of me, nor their familiars, mount againe; saying, they were all pilgrimes, and bound to Loretta, for devotion sake, in pilgrimage, and for the pennance enjoyned to them by their father confessour. Truely, so farre as I could judge, their pennance was small, being carried with horses, and the apearance of their devotion much lesse: for, lodging at Riginati, after supper, each youth led captive his dearest darling to an unsanctified bed, and left me to my accustomed repose.

"When the morning starre appeared, wee imbraced the way, marching towards Loretta, and these virmillion nymphs, to let mee understand they travelled with a cheerefull stomacke, would oft runne races, skipping like wanton lambes on grassie mountaines, and quenching their follies in a sea of unquenchable fantasies. Approaching neare the gate of the village, they pulled off their shoes and stockings, walking barefooted through the streetes, to this tenne thousand times polluted chappell, mumbling Pater nosters, and ave Mariaes on their beads. When they entred the church, wherein the chappell standeth, I stood at the entry, beholding many hundreds of bare-footed blinded bodies, creeping on their knees and hands, thinking themselves not worthy to goe on foote to this idely supposed Nazaretan house."

From Ancona, he embarked for Venice, in what he calls a fregato, in company with one James Arthur. They arrive at Venice, and are immediately regaled with a very edifying spec

tacle.

"Mine associate and I were no sooner landed, and perceiving a great throng of people, and, in the midst of them, a great smoake, but we begun to demand a Venetian, what the matter was? who replyed, there was a gray frier burning quicke, at St. Markes Pillar, of the reformed order of St. Francis, for begetting fifteene young noble nunnes with child, and all within one yeare; he being also their father confessour. Whereat, I sprung forward through the throng, and my friend followed me, and came just to the pillar, as the halfe of his body and right arme fell flatlings in the fire. The frier was fortysix yeares old, and had bin confessor of that nunnery of Sancta Lucia five yeares. Most of these young nunnes were senators daughters, and two of them were onely come in to learne vertue, and yet fell in the midst of vice.

"These fifteene with child were all recald home to their fathers pallaces; the lady prioresse, and the rest of her voluptuous crew, were banished for ever from the precincts of Venice. The monastery was razed to the ground, their rents were allowed to bestowed upon poore families, and distressed age, and their church to bee converted to an hospitall. Most part of all which M. Arthur and I saw, before ever we either eate, dranke, or tooke our lodging in Venice; and I cannot forget, how, after all this, wee being inhungered, and also overjoyed, tumbled in by chance, Alla capello Ruosso, the greatest ordinary in all Venice, neare to which the friars bones were yet a burning; and calling

for a chamber, wee were nobly and richly served. After dinner they laid up our budgets and our burthens, and abroad went we to see the city. Night come, we sup'd, and sup'd alone; the next morne I begun to remarke the grandeur of the inne, and saw it was time that we were gone. I demanded our dependant, what was to pay? he answered, Vn scudo all huomo par ciascun ripasto, a crowne the dyet for each of us, being ten Iulets, or five shillings sterling. Mr. Arthur looked upon me, and I laugh'd upon him. In a word, our dinner and supper cost us forty Iulets, twenty shillings English, being foure crownes; whereat my companion, being discontented, bad the divell be in the friar ********, for wee had paid soundly for his leachery. Many like deaths, for like causes, and worser, have I seene in all my three voyages, if time could permit me to particularize them."

Lithgow is very wroth against the manners of Italy, at the time he visited that country. His indignation, however, breaks out in terms of such unmeasured invective, that the decency of modern times will not permit us to quote his language against practices, which, however, are probably as common now as they were then.

In our traveller's voyage from Venice to Dalmatia, he meets with a very sympathetic Captain of a Carmosalo, who attempts to induce him to desist from his perilous mode of life. This sets him upon vapouring about the necessary spirit of an adventurer, in which he certainly was not deficient.

"By the way, I recall the great kindnesse of that Dalmatian master, for offering my condition, I found him more then courteous, and would have no more but a halfe of that which was his bargaine at Venice. Besides this, hee also entertained me three dayes, with a most bountifull and kind acceptance. Mysolitary travelling he oft bewailed, wishing me to desist, and never attempt such a voyage; but I, giving him absolute and constant answers, appeased his imagined sorrow.

"True it is, that ignorance and sloth make every thing terrible unto us, and we will not, because we dare not; and dare not, because we will not. This makes us submit ourselves to any thing, that doth either flatter or threaten us; and some, like sottish weakelings, thatgive the reines of their government into the hands of their wives or servants, thinking then they buy their peace when they sell it. Thus doe they grow upon us; I meane ignorance and sloth, and by composition, not force, become masters of the place, being just so strong as we are weake. And, as contrary newes delivered at one time, maketh one to heare with joy, and remember with sorrow, even so an unresolved man, in high and heroicke designes, though seeming forward, is distracted heere, set one feare there, and rent asunder every where with the flashing frights of desperation. But a constant resolution can couragiously support all things. Vbicunque homo est, ibi beneficio locus est. And congratulating this skippers courtesie, I bad farewell to his counsell."