the Door after me, welcomed me with a Deo gratias; I had not stay'd long in the Jefuites Hall, before Cofterus came in to me, who after a friendly Salutation, fell into a formall speech of the unity of that Church, out of which is no Sal vation, and had proceeded to leefe his Breath, and labour; had not I (as civilly as I might) interrupted him with this fhort Anfwer; Sir, I befeech you mistake me not; My Nation tells you of what Religion I am; I come not hither out of any doubt of my profeffed belief, or any purpose to change it, but moving a question to this Gentleman, concerning the pretended miracles of the time, he pleased to referr me to your self for my Answer, which motion of his I was the more willing to embrace, for the fame that I have heard of your learning and worth, and if you can give me fatisfaction herein, I am ready to receive it: Hereupon we fetled to our places, at a Table in the end of the Hall, and buckled to a further discourse; he fell into a poor and unperfect account of the difference of Divine miracles and Diabolicall; which I modeftly refuted; from thence he flipt into a Cholerick invective against our Church, which (as he faid) could not yield one miracle; and when I answered, that in our Church, we had manifeft proofs of the ejection of Divells by fafting and prayer, he answered, that if it could be proved, that ever any Di

vell

vell was difpoffeffed in our Church, he would quit his Religion. Many questions were incidently traverfed by us; wherein I found no fatisfaction given me; The conference was long and vehement; in the heat whereof, who fhould come in 1 but Father Baldwin, an English Jefuite, known to me, as by face (after I came to Bruffells) fo much more by Fame; he fate down upon a bench, at the further end of the table, and heard no fmall part of our Differtation, seeming not too well apaid, that a Gentleman of his Nation, (for ftill I was fpoken to in that habit, by the ftile of Dominatio veftra) fhould depart from the Jefuites Colledge no better fatisfied: On the next morning therefore he fends the fame English Phyfitian to my Lodging, with a courteous compellation, profeffing to take it unkindly, that his Country-man fhould make choice of any other, to conferr with, then himself, who defired both mine acquaintance and full fatisfaction. Sr. Edmund Bacon, in whofe hearing the meffage was delivered, gave me fecret fignes of his utter unwillingness to give way to my further conferences, the iffue whereof (fince we were to pass further, and beyond the bounds of that Protection) might prove dangerous, I returned a mannerly answer of thanks to F. Baldwin; but for any further conference, that it were bootless, I could not hope to

C 2

convert

him

were.

him, and was resolv'd, he should not alter me, and therefore both of us fhould reft where we Departing from Bruffells we were for Namur's, and Liege: in the way we found the good hand of God, in delivering us from the danger of free-booters, and of a nightly entrance (amidst a fufpicious convoy) into that bloody City. Thence we came to the Spadane waters, where I had good leafure to add a fecond century of Meditations to those I had published before my journey; After we had spent a just time at those medicinall wells, we returned to Liege, and in our paffage up the River Mofa, I had a dangerous conflict with a Sorbonift, a Prior of the Carmelites, I who took occafion by our kneeling at the receit of the Eucharift, to perfwade all the company of our acknowledgment of a Transubstantiation; I fatisfyed the cavill, fhowing upon what ground this meet pofture obtained with us: the man grew furious his conviction, and his vehe upon ment affociates began to joyn with him, in a right down railing upon our Church, and Religion; I told them they knew where they were, for me, I had taken notice of the fecurity of their Laws, inhibiting any argument held against their Religion eftablished, and therefore ftood only upon my defenfe, not cafting any afperfion upon theirs, but ready to maintain our own, which though I per. formed in as fair terms as I might, yet the cho

ler

ler of those zelots was fo moved, that the palenefs of their changed countenances, began to threaten fome perillous iffue, had not Sir Edmund Bacon,both by his eye, and by his Tongue, wifely ta ken me off, I fubduced my felf fpeedily from their prefence, to avoid further provocation; the Prior began to bewray fome fufpicions of my borrowed habit, and told them, that himfelf had a green Sattin fuit once prepared for his travells into England, fo as I found it needfull for me, to lye clofe at Namur's; from whence travelling the next day towards Bruffels in the company of two Italian Captains, Signior Afcamo Negro and another, whofe name I have forgotten; who enquiring into our Nation and Religion, wondred to hear that we had any Baptifm or Churches in England; the congruity of my Latin, (in respect of their perfe& Barbarifme) drew me and the rest into their fufpition, fo as I might overhear them_muttering to each other, that we were not the men we appeared, ftraight the one of them, boldly expreft his conceit, and together wich this charge, began to inquire of our condition; I told him that the Gentleman he faw before us, was the Grandchild of that renowned Bacon, the great Chancellour of . England, a man of great birth and Quality, and that my felf, and my other companion, travailed in his attendance to the Spa; from the train, and under the Priveledge of our late Ambaffador, with which juft answer I ftopt their Mouths.

Re

Returning through Bruffels we came down to Antwerp, the paragon of Cities; where my curiofity to fee a folemn proceffion on St. John Baprifts Day might have drawn me into danger (through my willing unreverence) had not the hulck of a tall Brabanter, behinde whom I ftood in a corner of the Street, fhadowed me from notice; Thence down the fair river of Scheld, we came to Ulushing, where (upon the refolution of our company to stay fome hours, I hafted to Middleburgh to fee an ancient Collegue; That vifit loft me my paffage; ere I could return, I might fee our fhip under fail for England, the Master had with the wind altered his Purpose, and called aboord with fuch eagerness, that my Company muft either away, or undergo the hazard of too much lofs: I lookt long after them in vain, and fadly returning to Middleburgh waited long, for an inconvenient and tempeftuous paffage.

After fome year and half, it pleafed God in expectedly to contrive the change of my ftation; My means were but fhort at Halfted; yet fuch as I oft profeffed, if my then Patron would have added, but one ten pounds by year (which I held to be the value of my detained due) I fhould ne ver have removed; One morning as I lay in my bed, a strong motion was fuddenly glanced into my thoughts of going to London; I arose and betook me to the way, the ground that appeared

of