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the coursers of Naples, and the heavy horses of Freizland, and how they manage and feed these horses, the situation of cities and provinces, the healthfulness of the air, the chorography, the buildings, the riches, the magnificence of citizens, their household stuff, and in general all special things, as statues, colosses, sepulchres with the inscriptions, libraries, with the most rare books, theatres, arches, bridges, forts, armories, treasuries, monasteries, churches, public houses, universities with their founders, revenues, and disputations. To conclude; let him visit the most learned, and those that excel in military art or any virtue, and let him confer with them, as his ends require. Thus did I visit Beza, at Geneva; thus did I visit Bellarmine at Rome, (being ready to take horse, and in the habit and person of a Frenchman). Thus, in my return, did I gladly see Henry the Fourth of Bourbon, King of France, famous for the feats of arms and wisdom; only Lipsius, whom I loved for his book of constancy, and much desired to see for his universal learning, did bereave me of this hope, when I came into the Low Countries, by his inconstant flight to the Spaniards. The traveller shall further observe the policy of each state, and therein the courts of each king or prince, with the courtiers' entertainments, fees, or offices, the statures of the princes, their revenues, the form of the commonwealth, whether the prince be a tyrant, or beloved of the people, what forces he hath by sea or land, the military discipline, the manners of the people, their vices, virtues, industry in manual arts, the constitution of their bodies, the history of the kingdom, and since the soul of each man is the man, and the soul of the commonwealth is religion, he shall observe the disposition of the people, whether it be religious, superstitious, or prophane, and the opinions of religion differing from his, and the most rare ceremonies thereof. He shall also observe the traffic of merchants, and therein the commodities which they carry out, and most want, the havens and roads for ships, their skill in navigation, and whether they use subjects or strangers for their mariners. Lastly, the value of the coins in each country, and the several current pieces, and whatsoever he shall think meet to add hereunto."

At the time he travelled, he informs us, 501. or 601. yearly was sufficient to bear the charge of a traveller's diet, necessary apparel, and two journeys yearly in the spring and autumn, and also to serve him for moderate expences of pleasure: he adds, however, that such as have servants to attend them must lay their account that each servant shall spend as much for their diet as himself," especially in Germany, where passengers of all sorts set at the same table, and pay the like shot.' recommends Leipsic, Strasburg, and Heidelberg, as the places where the purest German is spoken, and Orleans where the purest French and adds a piece of advice, even in these days too much neglected: "my counsel is, that the traveller shun, till he learns the language of the country, the conversation of his own countrymen, only visiting them in their lodgings, and

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that not often or long, but that he live not in the house withi them."

His advice to Englishmen is, that they first pass into Germany, and spend some time there,

"For since we use too much the help of our servants, so as we will scarcely make ourselves ready, and since we use to dispise the company of mean people at bed or board, there we may learn to serve ourselves, where he that comes into a shoemaker's shop, must find out the shoes will fit him, and put them on himself. There we may learn to admit the company of mean men, where many times poor fellows, yea, very coachmen shall be thrust to be our bedfellows, and that when they are drunk; and like men will often sit by us at the table, and in some places (as most part of Low Germany) they drink always round, so as we shall be sure to pledge like men, and drink to them in the same cup; and if we have a servant of our own, would rather have him sit next us, than any other. There we may learn to feed on homely meat, and to lie in a poor bed: there, among many other things, we may learn, to moderate our aptness to quarrel, whereof I will speak more in the proper place. To conclude; all in general that pass Germany as strangers, are free among that honest people from all cozenages and deceits, to which in other parts they are subject above others, especially inexperienced."

In our days, the English are very generally, and we are afraid justly, accused of an unaccommodating disposition when abroad: they do not seem to have been so when our author lived. "I have observed," he remarks, "the Germans and French in Italy, to live and converse most with their own countrymen, disdaining to apply themselves to the Italian language, apparel, and diet and the English, above all others, to subject themselves to the laws, customs, language, and apparel of other nations."

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There is no error into which travellers are more apt to fall, than that of inferring the national character, or a general custom from individual cases, and often those cases very perfectly observed and understood. On this topic our author may be listened to with advantage; and the extract we give is further curious, as pointing out customs which no longer exist:

"Thus the Italians err, who coming into England, and seeing the familiar conversation of our women, do repute them for harlots, who are much chaster than their women would be, having like liberty as ours have. Thus strangers may easily judge amiss, of the women in Friezland giving kisses to each man to whom they drink, and taking kisses of each whom they pledge. As also of the virgins in Holland, who hand in hand with young men, slide upon the ice far from their father's house, and there lodge in a strange town or village: for these old customs of particular places, are no certain signs of un

chastity. The Italian Sansouinus grossly erreth in this kind, being otherwise a man of great wit and judgment, who affirms that parents in England take the pillows from the heads of their children ready to die, out of tender pity and charity, to put them out of their pain: because, perhaps, he heard that some women, hired to keep some that were sick of contagious diseases, and therefore sent with them into solitary places, had sometimes committed this notable villainy. What could he have said more? if he had lived among the Indians, who ate their parents, that the worms may not eat them. I have heard some complain of England, for the dear rates of diet, and for the people's inhumanity to strangers, because they had been ill used at Gravesend, where the very English are rudely and ill served), and by some obscure hosts of London, who used to entertain and wrong strangers, having otherwise never visited the citizens of London, the scholars of the universities, gentlemen, or learned men, nor having ever gone further than London into the country, which, if they had done, they should have found these men, and the very country people, not only courteous, but too much given to admire strangers, so they could make themselves understood, or had with them a guide skilful of the language and fashions. Others I have heard speak very ill of Italy; whereas there is no country in the world more commodious, to him (as they say) Chi fa far'i fatti suoi, that is, who knows to do his own business: we betray our ignorance or our self-love, when we dispraise foreign things without true judgment, or prefer our own country before others, without shewing good reason thereof."

The third chapter treats of old writers, and some proverbs which he observed in foreign parts by reading or discourse, to be used either of travellers themselves, or of divers nations and provinces. In the first part of this chapter he compares and contrasts what he calls the northern and southern men, in respect to voracity, fortitude and strength, wit and wisdom, cruelty, perfidiousness, covetousness and prodigality, jealousy, suspicion, madness, venery, long life, religion, softness of skin, cleanliness, luxury, levity, fortunateness, devils, and the possessed with devils. From the second portion of this chapter, on the proverbial speeches of nations in general, of travellers, and of particular nations, we shall solicit only the short paragraphs relating to England:

"England, in general, is said to be the hell of horses, the purgatory of servants, and the paradise of women.

"The Londoners pronounce woe to him, that buys a horse in Smithfield, that takes a servant in Paul's church, that marries a wife out of Westminster. Londoners, and all within the sound of Bowbell, are in reproach called cockneys, and eaters of buttered toasts. The Kentish men of old were said to have tails, because trafficking in the Low Countries, they never paid full payments of what they did owe, but still left some part unpaid. Essex men are called calves, (because they abound there), Lancashire, egg-pies, and to be won by

an apple with a red side. Norfolk wiles (for crafty litigiousness :) Essex stiles, (so many as make walking tedious,) Kentish miles (of the length). Northumberland men (exercised inroads upon the Scots) are accounted best light horsemen. Cornish men, best horse-riders wrestlers, and most active men. Lincolnshire bells and bag-pipes, Devonshire whitepots, Tewkesbury mustard, Banbury cakes, King'sNorton cheese, Sheffield knives, Darby ale, are proverbially spoken of."

The first chapter of the second Book" of the fit means to travel, and to hire coaches and horses," exhibits the most curious and instructive particulars, by means of which we may contrast the style and facilities of travelling in different European countries in the beginning of the seventeenth century, and at present. Great as are the advances that England has made, during this period, before all the continental nations, in manufactures and national wealth, perhaps her advances in quickness, facility, and comfort of travelling, are the most extraordinary of all: and it would be an interesting enquiry, how far these advances have resulted from her progress in manufactures, and how far they have contributed to it: their action is undoubtedly reciprocal. We shall not extract any thing from this chapter respecting the means of travelling in foreign countries in the time of our author, because not much improvement has taken place, and we are not so well qualified to judge of that improvement, nor so interested about it: but we shall extract the passage which relates to travelling in England, and beg our readers carefully to compare it with our present means of travelling.

"In England towards the south, and in the west parts, and from London to Berwick upon the confines of Scotland, post-horses are established at every ten miles or thereabouts, which they ride a false gallop after some ten miles an hour sometimes, and that makes their hire the greater: for with a commission from the chief postmaster, or chief lords of the council (given either upon public business, or at least pretence thereof) a passenger shall pay two pence half-penny each mile for his horse, and as much for his guide's horse; but one guide will serve the whole company, though many ride together, who may easily bring back the horses driving them before him, who know the way as well as a beggar knows his dish. They which have no such commission, pay three pence for each mile. This extraordinary charge of horses' hire, may well be recompenced with the speed of the journey, whereby greater expences in the inns are avoided; all the difficulty is, to have a body able to endure the toil. For these horses the passenger is at no charge to give them meat, only at the ten miles end the boy that carries them back, will expect some few pence in gift. Some nobleman hath the office of chief postmaster, being a place of such account, as commonly he is one of the

King's council. And not only he, but other lords of the council, according to the qualities of their offices, used to give the foresaid commission, signed with their hands jointly or severally but their hands are less regarded than the post-master's, except they be favourites, and of the highest offices, or the business be important. In the inns men of inferior condition used to eat at the host's table, and pay some sixpence a meal: but gentlemen have their chambers, and eat alone, except, perhaps, they have consorts and friends in their company, and of their acquaintance. If they be accompanied, perhaps their reckoning may commonly come to some two shillings a man, and one that eats alone in his own chamber with one or two servants attending him, perhaps upon reckoning may spend some five. or six shillings for supper and breakfast. But in the northern parts, when I passed towards Scotland, gentlemen themselves did not use to keep their chambers, but to eat at an ordinary table together, where they had great plenty of good meat, and especially of choice kinds of fish, and each man paid no more than sixpence, and sometimes but four-pence a meal. One horse's meat will come to twelve-pence, or eighteen-pence the night for hay, oats, and straw; and in summer time commonly they put the horses to grass, after the rate of threepence each horse, though some who ride long journeys, will either keep them in the stable at hard meat, as they do in winter, or else give them a little oats in the morning when they are brought up from grass.English passengers, taking any journey, seldom dine, especially not in winter, and withall ride long journeys. But there is no place in the world where passengers may so freely command as in the English inns, and are attended for themselves and their horses as well as if they were at home, and, perhaps, better, each servant being ready at call, in hope of a small reward in the morning. Neither did I ever see inns so well furnished with household stuff. Coaches are not to be hired any where but only at London; and howsoever England is, for the most part, plain, or consisting of little pleasant hills, yet the ways far from London are so dirty, as hired coachmen do not ordinarily take any long journeys, but only for one or two days any way from London, the ways so far being sandy and very fair, and continually kept so by labour of hands. And for a day's journey, a coach with two horses used to be let for some ten shillings the day, (or the way being short for some eight shillings, so as the passengers paid for the horses' meat,) or some fifteen shillings a day for three horses, the coachmen paying for his horses' meat. Sixty or seventy years ago, coaches were very rare in England; but at this day pride is so far increased, as there be few gentlemen of any account, (I mean elder brothers), who have not their coaches, so as the streets of London are almost stopped up with them. Yea, they who only respect comeliness and profit, and are thought free from pride, yet have coaches, because they find the keeping thereof more commodious and profitable, than of horses, since two or three coach-horses will draw four or five persons, besides the commodity of carrying many necessaries in a coach. For the most part, Englishmen, especially in long journeys, used to ride upon their own horses. But if any will hire a horse, at

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