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general intelligence that the treaty was at an end, and Don Louis returned to Madrid, though the king had fent the Marquis of Ormond directly to Fontarabia to know the truth, and to inform Don Louis of his majesty's arrival, yet without ftaying for his return, the other perfuaded the king, that he ought to make all poffible hafte to Madrid; and fo far prevailed, that they went as far as Saragofa in the kingdom of Arragon, where they received clear information that Don Louis remained ftill at the place of the treaty. And within a day after, an express arrived from thence, with all the importunity from the Marquis of Ormond and Sir Henry Bennett, that his majefty would make all poffible hafte thither; fignifying further the prejudice he had fuffered by the delays he had made in his journey, and the unexpreffible difpleasure Don Louis had conceived upon his purpose of going to Madrid, which in that conjuncture would have occafioned, great diforder in the King of Spain's affairs, all which made deep impreffions in his majefty, and made him difcern how inconvenient the fanciful humour of his guide had been to him. The king's reception at Fontarabia, and his treatment there, was agreeable to the Spaniard's custom in those occafions, full of refpect and application to his majefty; and in the fhort ftay he made there, the other perfon (who was upon all the difadvantages mentioned before) had, by his pure dexterity and addrefs, wrought himfelf fo far into the good opinion of Don Louis, and the other grandees who accompanied him, that when the king returned through France for Bruffels, he found encourage

ment to go directly for Madrid, where he was well received by the king, and fupplied with at least two or three thousand pound fterling, and ftaid there until he heard of the great change of affairs in England, and of his majefty's reception there, where he found him in the full poffeffion and administration of his regal power.

By this time the king was engaged very far in his treaty with Purtugal for the marriage with the queen, all particulars being in the truth upon the matter agreed upon; which no fooner came to this gentleman's knowledge but he expreffed a marvellous diflike of it, and (without any capacity which might entitle him to that prefumption) fuggefted all things to the king which the Spanish ambaffador could fuggeft to him, and which were most like to make fome impreffion upon his majefty; fuch as the deformity of her perfon, the number of her years, and her incapacity of bearing children; and at the fame time made offer of the choice of two young ladies of the house of Medici, of fuch rare perfection in beauty as his fancy could defcribe, and (which is very wonderful) prevailed fo far privately with the king, to fend him incognito into Italy to fee thofe ladies, with a promise not to proceed further in the treaty with Portugal till his return; but upon a short reflection upon the difhonour of this defign, his Majesty put a quick end to it, renewing his old obfervations of the humour and prefumptions of the man. How many extravagant propofitions and defigns he afterwards run into, till he fo far provoked the king that he gave orders for his apprehenfion and commitment to the Tower, is known

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to all men; and how many more he is like hereafter to fall into of the fame kind, can hardly be forefeen, even by those who beft underftand his unlimited ambition, and the restleffnefs of his humour.

I did not intend to have reflected upon fo many particulars, much lefs to have taken any furvey of the active life of this very confiderable perfon; but it was hardly poffible to give any lively description of his nature and humour, or any character even of his person and compofition, without reprefenting fome inftances of particular actions; which, being fo contradictory to themselves, and fo different from the fame effects which the fame caufes naturally produce in other men, can only qualify a man to make a conjecture what his true conftitution and nature was; and at beft it will be but a conjecture, fince it is not poffible to make a pofitive conclufion or deduction from the whole or any part of it, but that another conclufion may be as reasonably made from fome other action and discovery. It is pity that his whole life fhould not be exactly and carefully written, and it would be as much pity that any body, elfe fhould do it but himfelf, who could only do it to the life, and make the trueft defcriptions of all his faculties, and paffions, and appetites, and the full operation of them; and he would do it with as much ingenuity and integrity as any man could do, and expofe himself as much to the cenfure and reproach of other men, as the malice of his greatest enemy could do; for in truth he does believe many of thofe particular actions, which fevere and rigid men do look upon as disfigurings of the other beautiful part of his life, to

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be great luftre and ornament to it and would rather expofe it nakedly to have the indifcretion and unwarrantable part of it cenfured, than that the fancy and high projection fhould be concealed, it being an infirmity that he would not part with, to believe that a very ill thing fubtilly and warily defigned, and well and bravely executed, is much worthier of a great fpirit, than a faint acquiefcence under any infelicity, merely to contain himself within the bounds of innocence; and yet if any man concludes from hence that he is of a fierce and impetuous difpofition, and prepared to undertake the worst enterprize, he will find cause enough to believe himself miftaken, and that he hath foftnefs and tenderness enough about him to restrain him, not only from ill, but even from unkind and illnatured actions. No man loves more paffionately and violently, at leaft makes more lively expreffions of it: and that his hatred and malice, which fometimes break out from him with great impetuofity, as if he would deftroy all he dif likes, is not compounded proportionably out of the fame fiery materials, appears in this, that he would not only, upon very fhort warning' and very eafy addrefs, truft a man who had done him injury to a very notable degree, but even fuch a man, as he himself had provoked beyond the common bounds of reconciliation: he doth not believe that any body he loves fo well, can be unloved by any body elfe; and, that whatever prejudice is contracted against him, he could remove it, if he were but admitted to conference with them which own it. No man can judge, hardly guefs, by what he hath done formerly, what

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he will do in the time to come; whether his virtues will have the better, and triumph over his vanities, or whether the ftrength and vigour of his ambition, and other exorbitances, will be able to fupprefs, and even extinguish his better difpofed inclinations and resolutions, the fuccefs of which will always depend upon circumstances and contingencies, and from fomewhat without, and not within himself. I fhould not imagine that ever his activity will be attended with fuccefs or fecurity; but without doubt, if ever his reflections upon the vanity of the world difpofe him to contemn it, and to betake himself to a contemplation of God, and nature, or to a ftrict and fevere devotion, to

which he hath fometimes fome temptation, if not inclination; or if a fatiety in wrestling and ftruggling in the world, or a defpair of profpering by thofe ftrugglings, fhall prevail with him to abandon those contefts, and retire at a good diftance from the court to his books and a contemplative life, he may live to a great and a long age; and will be able to leave fuch information and advertisements of all kinds to pofterity, that he will be looked upon as a great mirror by which well-difpofed men may learn to drefs themselves in the best ornaments, and to spend their lives to the best advantage of their country.

Montpelier, April 1669.

NATURAL

NATURAL HISTORY.

The Natural History of the different Serpents in the Eaft-Indies, from the Effays of Monf. F. d'Obfonville, on the nature of various foreign Animals, tranflated by T. Holcroft.

HESE animals, which, as

are leaft known in Europe, and which I have had opportunities of obferving with confiderable attention.

Serpent Marin, or Sea Serpent The approach of the coafts of India is almost always known by these Serpents, which are met at from

Tthey wind and twilt them twenty to thirty leagues diftance.

felves, advance filently by a progreffive undulation; and when they fleep or reft, form their bodies into a number of circles, of which the head is the centre: which, after they have caft their skins, appear all at once with a renovated brilliancy; thefe animals, fo dangerous if they are irritated, were the fymbols of wisdom, prudence, and immortality, among the ancient philofophers. They are divided into a multitude of fpecies, that differ by the intensity of their poison, the fize of their bodies, the colours with which their skins are spotted; and, though most common in marfhy grounds, are found alfo in the fea, on rocky mountains, and in barren places. They are all carnivorous, and there are fome fpecies that devour the others. I fhall fpeak particularly of fome of those only that

Their bite may be mortal, if not timely counteracted by fome of the fpecifics hereafter mentioned. These reptiles appeared to me to be from three to four feet long; I do not know if there are any larger. I do not believe they are precifely amphibious, that is to fay, that they have the power alfo of living on land. I have often feen them on the fhore, but they have always been thrown there by the furges, and were either dead or dying.

Serpent couronné. The crowned or hooded Serpent. This fpecies extends from five to fix feet in length; the fkin is divided in small regular compartments, which being contrafted and separated, more or lefs, with green, yellow, and brown, have a tolerably beautiful effect. It is called hooded from the Portuguefe word capelo, because it has a

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The Serpent is called Mar, in Perfian; Hai, and Laiffa, in Arabic ah, or Pampou, in Tamoul; and Samp, Kakoutia, Boura, and Tchilli, in Indoftan. The Sea Serpent, Cadel Pampou, in Tamoul. The Hooded Serpent, Nalle Pampou, in Tamoul; Cokra, in Indoftan. The Javeline, Green, or Flying Serpent, Pache Pampou, in Tamoul; and Marperende, in Perfian. The Viper, Marafi, in Persian.

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loofe fkin under its head, which can be extended to both fides; and, when it is fo, forms a fort of hood, on which is drawn the refemblance almost of a pair of spectacles. This loose skin never takes that form but when the animal rears itself, agitated by fear, rage, or aftonifhment; in a word, by fome object that affects it forcibly. In which cafe it raifes the fore part of its body to nearly a third of its length; its head is then almoft in continual action, it seems to look all around, but remains in the fame place, or creeps flowly on its hind parts. Whence this fpecies is in India, more than any other, the emblem of prudence; but when it eats, fleeps, or is purfued, its hood is not extended, because the mufcles are then either relaxed or differently employed. This Serpent is an object of fuperftitious veneration among the Gentoo Indians, founded on fome traits of legendary mythology: they feldom name it without adding fome epithet, fuch as the royal, the good, the holy. Some of them are happy to fee it go and come in their houses; whence many have received irreparable injuries: for it is very poffible to hurt it unintentionally, without feeing it, or during fleep, and it immediately revenges itself with fury. Its bite is fometimes mortal in two or three hours, especially if the poifon has penetrated the larger veffels or mufcles.

This reptile, more than any other, is attentive to the found of a fort of flageolet or pipe. The Indian jugglers play a certain monotonous air, flow and unharmonious, which at first seems to create aftonishment, prefently it advances, ftops, rears itself, and extends its

hood; fometimes it will remain an hour in that pofition, and then, by gentle inclinations of the head, indicate that these founds impress a fenfe of pleafure on its organs. Of this I have feveral times been convinced, by proofs made on this kind of Serpents, which have never been trained to that exercise, and particularly upon one that I caught in my garden. I do not however deny, that fome are trained to this exercife: the jugglers, when called to clear a house of them, will fometimes artfully drop one of these, which will immediately appear at the found of the pipe, to which it has been accustomed.

Serpent javelot, or green Serpent. The green Serpent is found, in the Indies and the countries eaft of the Peninfula, four and five feet long; its bite is held to be at leaft as dangerous as that of the hooded snake: they generally remain on the tops of trees, watching for birds and infects. Sufpended or laid along the branches, which they embrace with the tip of the tail, they appear immoveable, when, prefently, with an ofcillatory motion, they will reach to another bough, or feize upon their prey. Hence it is probable, that from a fuperficial view of the manner in which thefe reptiles obtain their fubfiftence, fome travellers have faid, that they have a particular delight to dart upon the eyes of paffengers. For my own part, I am well perfuaded, that when they dart, or rather when they glide along at the approach of man, it is only to avoid him, except, perhaps, when they have been wounded or irritated; fo at least has it happened, for more than ten times that I have feen them. I prefume, that this reptile is of the fame fpecies

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