_The Author's Stay at_ Lisbon, _&c._
_Lisbon_ stands near the Mouth of the _Tagus_, in a Situation
extremely diverting; and certainly 'tis one of the finest Cities
in _Europe_. It has a considerable Trade, which renders it very
populous and wealthy. According, to the Calculation I made of it
in the Bulk, there cannot be less than 20000 Houses. There are
Thirty-five or Forty Gates for the Conveniency of the
Inhabitants; and I am very much mistaken if it be not two long
Leagues in Compass.
The Person to whom I made my Application, was one M. _Du Pre_, a
Surgeon by Profession, a Man who had a great deal of Practice,
and was capable of finding me Employment. In short, the good Man
receiv'd me with open Arms. I had been with him but a very little
while ere I discover'd that he was one of the Reformed, for he
went very seldom to Mass, often read Sermons to his Children, and
not a _Sunday_ went over his Head but he catechis'd them
privately: And he, for his part, quickly perceiv'd also that I
was very far from a Bigot; so that he confess'd to me he kept the
Bible at home for the Instruction of his Family, which he carry'd
me to see.
To speak the Truth, the first time that I gave it a Reading,
which was dispatch'd in a very little time, I took it for an
ill-concerted Romance, to which however I gave the Name of Sacred
Stories. The Book of _Genesis_ seem'd to me to be meer Fiction;
the _Jewish Law_ and _Ceremonies_ a Medley of Trifles and
Childish Vanities; the _Prophesies_ an Abyss of Obscurities, and
the most ridiculous Nonsense; and the _Gospel_ a pious Fraud,
invented to cajole silly Women, and captivate the Vulgar. What
shock'd me first of all was to find, that in the Work of the
Creation there was Light, before the Luminaries which produce it,
and without which all wou'd be Darkness and Obscurity. Then I
boggled at the Fatal Necessity Man was laid under to labour and
die, as a pretended Consequence of his Crime. Afterwards I
reflected on the Sentence pass'd upon the Woman, to bring forth
Children in Sorrow, and that on the Serpent, to creep on its
Belly, as if before it had Legs. The Rainbow, which was plac'd in
the Clouds after the Deluge, to dispossess Mankind of the Fear of
perishing by a second Flood: The Favour granted by Heaven to
_Lot_, to depart out of _Sodom_, that he might be at liberty to
go immediately and commit a double Incest with his Daughters: The
Amours of _Pharaoh_ and of _Sarah_ the Wife of _Abraham_; and the
Rape committed on her, when she was a decrepid old Woman, by
_Abimelech_ King of _Gerar_: The frequent Dialogues between the
Creature and his Creator: The Passage over the _Red Sea_, and the
many other Miracles wrought for the _Jews_: The Ass, whose Mouth
was open'd to say so little to the Purpose; and a thousand other
Difficulties of the same Nature, puzzled my Reason to a
prodigious Degree. I cou'd not comprehend how Effects cou'd
precede their Causes. I had been so often taught the contrary in
the Schools, and daily Experience had so many times confirm'd
this Truth to me in the Works of Nature, that I did not care so
much as once to think of it. I thought it altogether as absurd to
suppose that Man wou'd have been immortal, if he had not
disobey'd God, because I did not see any Appearance that the
Order and Constitution of his Parts wou'd have suffer'd any
Alteration, after he had receiv'd Life. Nor did I conceive how
the Earth wou'd have been in a Condition to bear its Fruits
continually in the same Abundance, without Cultivation, unless it
had been quite of another Nature then, than it is at present,
which is not probable: I had read a hundred Voyages, which
assur'd me that the Women in general, in the _East-Indies_, in
_Africa_, and in _America_, about the Line, scarce suffer any
Pain at all in the Delivery of the Humane Species into the World;
insomuch that the Women of _Brasil_ commonly go to be deliver'd
near some Spring or River, where they wash themselves, cleanse
the Infant, and then carry it to their Husbands, who immediately
take to their Beds, where they lie-in, and receive the
Compliments of the Gossips, while the Woman goes abroad for
Provision to regale them. On the other hand, among the People who
live towards the Poles, the Sex suffers a vast deal at such
times, and even many of them lose their Lives; so that this
varies proportionably to the Climates, and to Peoples
Constitutions. 'Tis the very same thing in Beasts, which for no
Crime by them committed, are equally subject to those different
Changes. In fine, for it wou'd require whole Volumes to exhaust
this Subject, when I consider'd the Cause of the Rainbow, and its
Bigness, and Colours, having made a hundred artificial ones my
self, which is easily done, by taking Water into one's Mouth and
squirting it abroad, in some Place opposite to the Sun Beams,
which has no very bright Objects beyond it, and by several other
ways; I cou'd not well digest the Account which _Moses_ gives us
of it, as a Meteor unknown before that time.
Nevertheless, all these Obstacles did not intirely discourage me;
for I undertook to run over this holy Book a second time, on
condition, however, that, as I went thro' it, I might desire my
Master to explain the difficult Passages. He consented to it, and
we were every Day deeply engag'd in Disputes, during which the
good Man frequently rav'd at me, and I was well off if he only
call'd me a Libertine, and a stubborn Unbeliever. I said to him
sometimes, that it was no strange thing to see a Crowd of
Swimmers follow the rapid Course of a wide deep River, because
'tis every whit as agreeable as 'tis easy; but as soon as any one
Man turns his Back to the others, cutting the Stream, and
hastening nimbly towards its Fountain, they are all surpris'd at
the Action; for which, some admire him, and others, especially
his Companions, envy him to such a degree, that they are ready to
burst with Spite, and do every thing they can imagine to
discredit and ruine him, because what he does is an evident Proof
of Skill and Vigour on his Part, and of meer Dastardy and Folly
on their Part. 'Tis the same thing as to our Sentiments
concerning the Sciences, and especially Religion; the first we
imbibe stick with us, so that we cannot bear to be contradicted.
We are disgusted with every thing that is not conformable to
them, and from the Moment that a Man talks of discarding them, he
is infallibly reckon'd a Mad-man, or a Knave. Mean time, I
declare to you, that as I entertain a much more favourable
Opinion of a Man who swims against the Stream, than of another
who suffers himself to be insensibly born away with it, so I am
infinitely more inclin'd to think well of that Man's Penetration
and solid Judgment, who examines every thing, and even sometimes
opposes Opinions long since receiv'd, than of those Men who hold
Sentiments, as by Right of Inheritance, from their Ancestors, and
who only retain them for the sake of their Age or their
Authority; because it seldom happens that People go out of the
common Road, without Reasons for so doing; whereas 'tis not so
much expected that Men shou'd give their Reasons for not
deviating from it.
At the beginning of our Conversation, another Affair happen'd,
which gave occasion to another Dispute. A Captain of a Ship
having brought some Negroes from _Africa_, made a Present of one
of the handsomest to a Friend of his, a Man of Figure and
Substance, but whimsical, and hard to be pleas'd. This Negro,
after having liv'd several Years with so rigid a Master, and
suffer'd a thousand Abuses from him, could bear it no longer, and
resolv'd, whatever might be the Consequence, to take Revenge in a
way the most dangerous that cou'd be. For this End, he went to
the Apothecary that serv'd the Family, and under pretence that
they were extremely pester'd with Rats, he desired two or three
Pennyworth of Arsenic. The Fellow was scarce got out of the Shop
to do some Errands, when the Apothecary sent to tell the
Gentleman, that since his Black came for the Ratsbane, he had
thought of an admirable Composition to destroy those Vermin, and
that if he pleas'd he would immediately send him the Receipt. The
Gentleman, who was naturally of an uneasy Temper, being surpris'd
at this Message, and the more because he very well remember'd
that he had us'd his Domestic barbarously but the Day before,
sent for him to know what he meant to do with that Poison, and
swore by all that's sacred he would murder him, if he gave him
the least Cause to suspect him. It happen'd that the Valet was
not then in the way, but as soon as he came home, a Servant-maid,
who dreaded that she shou'd see him broke upon the Wheel, gave
him secret Notice of what had pass'd. The Wretch was sadly
affrighted; and being conscious that he had not Courage enough to
stand the Test, he stole away, and without more ado, hang'd
himself. Mean time, his Master was out of all Patience because he
did not see him; and after having order'd Messengers to go and
find him out, at the Places to which he had sent him, a Footman
came and surpris'd him with the News, that he found him hanging
in the Corn-Loft.
The Notice of this tragical Action was quickly spread every
where. The Gentleman being one of my Master's best Patients, he
went to him immediately, and desired him for several Reasons to
order it so, that he might have the Body. The Gentleman, who was
a Person of no small Influence, made no Scruple to assure him he
should have it, and the very same Day he perform'd his Promise.
As soon as the Body was put into our Hands, we dissected it in
form. All the Parts of it were disposed like those of the Body of
a white Man, at least, we observ'd no Difference; but what
surpris'd us was, to find immediately under the _Epidermis_, a
very thin delicate Membrane, which my Master had never perceived
in other Bodies, and which I had never heard of before. He
immediately sent for a famous Physician of the Town, to whom he
imparted this Discovery, but the Doctor did not seem so much
surpris'd as I expected, for the same thing had happen'd to him
upon the like Occasion. We concluded that this must be the true
Cause of the Blackness of this Race of Men, forasmuch as this
Tunick stifles, and no doubt absorbs the Rays of Light; as on the
contrary, a Leaf of Quicksilver plac'd behind _Venice_ Glass,
makes them reflect, and strikes them back towards the Place from
whence they came. This gave occasion to a strong Debate
concerning the Origin of the _Ethiopians_, which, when we
consider this remarkable Difference, seems not to be the same
with other Men. Upon this Principle I was going to draw
Consequences which would have tended to no less than the intire
Subversion of the System of the Sacred Author in Debate. But I
was silenc'd by being told, That there were many things, which it
was the Will of Heaven we should admire, but are forbid to dive
into.
I was much delighted to hear this Doctor discourse upon the
Construction and Operations of the Humane Body. He spoke _Latin_
like _Cicero_, and was as good an Orator as _Demosthenes_. I was
charm'd with every thing he said, because the Terms in which he
express'd himself were Strong, and well-chosen; and he always
aim'd to be clear and intelligible.
Not to give you a Detail of the long Conversation we had upon
this fine Subject, I will only mention that he observ'd three
things to us, which spread themselves in general over the whole
Body; the one externally, which is the Skin; and the two others,
which are the Veins and Nerves, in the Internal, and less visible
Parts of the Corporeal Mass. The Skin, _said he_, is necessary to
the Creature, because, like a Shell, it covers, incloses, and
wraps about its Members on all Sides, in such a manner as to
defend every Part of us against the Injuries of the Air, as it
does the Face and Hands, if we were inur'd to expose the whole
Body in the like manner. The Veins and Arteries, those Rivulets,
in which flows the Blood, the true Principle and immediate Cause
of Life, derive their Streams from the Heart, and run thro' the
whole Machine, so that it is not possible to prick it in any
Place, be it ever so small, without piercing some of their
Branches; which is plain from the Vermilion Colour of the
Moisture that instantly starts out. In short, there is no Part in
us where we do not meet with Nerves; this is clear, and may
easily be prov'd, beyond all Contradiction or Question. All these
Nerves, without Exception, proceed from the Brain, where, like so
many Strings, Twigs, or hollow Tubes, their several Extremities
are so rang'd, one by another, that they form a sort of Sphere,
in the middle of which there is a small Glandule extremely
sensible and delicate; and to the Basis are fasten'd an infinite
Number of imperceptible Arteries, by which a prodigious Quantity
of Spirits flow to it from the Heart, which Spirits sweep the
Glandule in a continual Agitation, and ready to yield to the
least, extraneous Motion.
To illustrate this by an Example; Suppose I have in my Hands a
thousand Ends of Thread ty'd together, 'tis impossible that any
one shou'd be pluck'd without my perceiving it immediately, tho'
I can't point to the very Place where the Attraction is made.
Admitting therefore these Nerves, or the little Fibres of which
they are compos'd, to be full of Spirits, as indeed they always
are when we are awake, tho' they are partly depriv'd of 'em while
we sleep; if any Object whatsoever happen to strike against the
exterior End, or against any other Part of those Tubes, it is
evident, that when they are full, and by Consequence extended,
the other Extremity which is in the Brain, must be sensible of
the Shock, and communicate the Motion to the Glandule, which must
unavoidably be acknowledg'd to be the Seat of the Understanding.
And forasmuch as Experience has taught me from the Cradle, that
the Blows, Wounds, and other Ailments which my Body suffers,
generally come to it from without, as often as I perceive the
least Agitation in one of my Parts, I cannot but ascribe the
Cause of it to some external Agent, nor help believing that 'tis
really the Extremity of some Nerve, and no other Part, which was
touch'd. We are also by Nature so far prepossess'd in favour of
this Opinion, that those, for Example, who have had the
Misfortune to lose an Arm, complain they feel the Pain at their
Fingers, and in no other Place; which is a Truth that every Day's
Experience confirms. Whether therefore the Impulsion be made by
the Rays of Light on the Optic Nerves, or by the small Particles
of our Food upon the Nerves which communicate with the Tongue,
or by the imperceptible Effluvia from Bodies which we call
Scented, upon the Source of the Olfactory Nerves, or in what
other manner soever this be, it amounts to the same thing; the
Organs may be as different as they will, 'tis the Touch is the
sole Cause of all the Perceptions we are capable of. From hence
it appears, that neither they who limit the Number of the Senses
to Five, nor others, who not knowing under which of those Five to
place Hunger; Thirst, and the Pleasure of Love, increase them to
Eight; it appears, I say, that neither of 'em have a right Notion
of the Nature of the Senses, because 'tis manifest from what we
have said, that there is absolutely but one.
Moreover, _continued he_, I cou'd easily demonstrate,
Mathematically, and by the Help of a Geometrical Figure, that
'tis impossible, strictly speaking, to have more than one
Perception at a time, as perfectly as we are capable by Nature,
and that when two or three are form'd together, they must needs
be confus'd; for Experience tells us, that when we look upon an
Object, the only Part of it which we see perfectly and
distinctly, is the Point which corresponds with the Optic Axes,
our Perception of the other Parts being only more or less, in
Proportion to their Distance from the Center. Our Ideas or the
Images of our Thoughts, are no more different from one another,
than our Perceptions are; for tho' we admit of two sorts of them,
distinguish'd by the Terms, Conception and Imagination, 'tis
certain that _Touching_ is the sole Cause of both the one and the
other: 'Tis the only Source of all Human Knowledge, and also of
our Reason, which, when all is said and done, is nothing more nor
less than the Union or Disunion of Names, which, by common
Consent, we have impos'd upon Substances, as they appear to our
Comprehension to bear a Conformity to their Qualities, and not at
all to their Existence. Other Creatures having Organs like to
ours, have no doubt the same Perceptions, and 'tis only the
Degree of more or less, that can constitute the Difference. The
Beasts therefore have Reason; and tho' they don't shew it, 'tis
only for want, perhaps, of Speech to give Names, as we do, to
things which affect them by being put in Motion; for, in other
Matters, they are very capable of distinguishing----
Here our Physician was interrupted on a sudden, by a terrible
Shriek from the Maid-Servant. The poor Girl, as she was bringing
an Armful of Wood from the Corn-Loft, had made a false Step, and
fell from the Top of the Ladder to the Ground. We all ran out to
her Assistance, and found that she had broke her right Leg. The
Doctor, after having seen it dress'd the first time, went home,
to my very great Concern; for, besides some Objections which I
was ready to have offer'd, I should have been very glad to have
heard the Conclusion of so curious a Discourse; and was the more
mortify'd afterwards, because I could never get another
Opportunity to engage that ingenious Gentleman to talk with me
upon the same Subject.
To return therefore from this first Digression; I must say, that
tho' M. _Du Pre_ was far from being a Philosopher, yet the few
Hints I had from him, together with _Calvin_'s Commentaries,
which he put into my Hands, were of very great Service to me.
From hence I had an Opportunity of observing, That the Creation
of Light means nothing more than the Formation of that subtle
Matter of which the Stars were composed upon the fourth Day; and
that tho' _Moses_ spoke of Day and Night before that Day, it was
only by way of Anticipation, as he said in another Place, That
God made Man, Male and Female, before he had caus'd a profound
Sleep to fall upon _Adam_, and form'd a Companion for him out of
one of his Ribs. I also very easily comprehended, as well with
regard to the Penalties which were imposed upon our first
Parents, as with regard to the Rainbow, _&c_. That both the one
and the other were at first Natural Signs, which God chang'd at
that time into Signs of Institution; much like what we observe
with respect to the holy Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's
Supper. And as to the Term _Beginning_, at the Head of the Book
of _Genesis_, it did not perplex me, tho' it puzzles many others.
I knew very well, that in Philosophy we must distinguish External
Time from the Internal; as in Geometry, we distinguish an
External Dimension from an Internal one, if I may be indulg'd the
Expression; which is as much as to say, that we must make a
Difference between a thing which has been measured, and whose
Dimensions are known, and another which has not. My Chamber, for
Example, has its Dimensions, that's undeniable; but meer Theory
cannot ascertain the Contents, Practice must be added to it, and
some common Method must be made use of, which Men are agreed on
beforehand, ere we can be able to say exactly how many Feet,
Inches, or square Lines it contains. By this means, those
Dimensions which were at first internal and secret, become
external and known, with regard to the external Measures which
serv'd to determine the Contents. All Beings in Nature therefore
have an Internal Time, and an External Time; their Internal Time
is that Duration whereby they continue in their actual and real
Existence, which extends from the Beginning to the End of them;
their External Time is the Duration of the Earth, as far as its
Motion is imploy'd to measure it; so that the External Time of a
Thing is the same, with respect to its Internal Time, as the
Measure to the Thing measur'd. We can have no Idea of any but
Internal Time abstractedly, before the Creation of the World,
because then there was no Being existent, but God, the Being of
Beings, whose Duration is without Beginning or End, and cannot
properly be defin'd or measur'd: But the very Moment that the Sun
appear'd in the Firmament, and that the Earth was suppos'd to
turn round its Centre, which it does from West to East, in a
certain Space of Time, the Name of a Day Natural was given to
each of those Periods; and that of Hours, Minutes, _&c._ to the
lesser Parts, just as the Succession of seven Days is call'd a
Week; the Moon's Revolution from West to East, a Month; the
Revolution of the Earth round the Sun, a Year, _&c._ These common
Measures help us to mark out the Time, and by rendring what was
Internal in its own Nature, External for our Use, no wonder that
without going farther backwards, we confine our selves to this
Beginning, and only make a Computation of Time, since proper
Measures were thought of to fix the Duration of it.
The Solution of these Difficulties made the Explanation of others
more easy to me. I began to perceive the Connexion in the great
Work of Redemption, the Harmony and Relation betwixt the Passages
of the Old Testament and the New, and how the Antecedents and
Consequents reciprocally depend upon one another; so that at the
third Reading of the Bible I concluded, that the Creation of the
World, and the Fall of Man, the Deluge, and the Passage of the
Red Sea, the Ceremonial Law, and Circumcision, the Menaces and
Promises, the Dreams, Visions, and Prophecies, and the most
remarkable Transactions in the Republic of _Israel_, were only
Types, Allegories, Emblems, Figures, and Shadows, which referr'd
only to the New Covenant, ow'd their Lustre purely to the Light
of the Gospel, and had Christ for their real Body.
My Landlord was charm'd at this Metamorphosis. He admir'd to
observe the sudden Transition, from that Coldness which made me
look upon Things with Contempt, to a Zeal which prompted me to
consider them with Esteem. Every thing that I did attracted his
Applause; he had scarce ever seen my Fellow. But as there is
nothing in the World perfect, he observ'd one thing in me still
which gave him great Uneasiness. My Natural Complexion was fair;
my Mother had indulg'd me always to wear a great Head of Hair,
which cover'd my Shoulders; at which M. _Du Pre_ was sadly
scandalis'd. Is it possible, _said he once to me_, that a Youth
who is so very intent on the Solution of the most difficult
Passages of Scripture, shou'd not perceive that St. _Paul_
positively forbids the wearing of long Hair, and that he thinks
it a Shame for a Man to nourish, and take so much Care of it. I
turn'd off his Remonstrances to me, upon this Head, for a long
time, with Banter; but perceiving that he spoke to me of it every
Day with the more Earnestness, I said to him one Day in my Turn,
'Sir, Is it possible you shou'd not know, that as the Diversity
of the Seasons of the Year obliges us to clothe our selves
differently, according to the Heat or Coldness of the Weather, so
the Changes which happen in Society engage us to observe
different Maxims? Heretofore, _said I_, long Hair was a Mark of
Subjection. When a Slave was freed, his Head was shav'd as a
Token of the Liberty that had been granted him; and 'tis to this
that the Apostle alludes. Under the Law, we were Slaves to Sin,
he means, but we are made free by Grace. Why shou'd we still
carry the Marks of our old Bondage about us, as the Wife does,
who is dependent on her Husband? At that Time there were Slaves,
tho' the Use of them is now very much lost among the Christians.
I own the Text says, that we are taught by Nature not to pride
our selves in our Hair; but this Expression is not to be taken in
its Strictest Sense, for Nature there signifies nothing but
Custom. Naturally we have nothing that is superfluous. Our Hair
was given us for the Guard and Preservation of the Head, and the
upper Parts of the Body, as Nails are Weapons with which Nature
has provided us for our Defence. Nature, therefore, does not
oblige us to cut off the one, or pare the Other; but 'tis rather
what we call the Mode, Decency, and certain Civil Laws
establish'd among People, which at the long Run we look upon as
Natural. The Fashion of this Age authorises the wearing of long
Hair, and I don't think it any Harm to follow it, especially in
this Part of the World, where, by the Confession of People of the
best Sense, and the generality of Divines, the Thing is
absolutely a Matter of Indifference.' But all this was not enough
to convince my Master; so that to satisfy him, I was fain to
permit him to make use of his Scissors, and to crop my Hair even
to my Ears. This Change of Custom was an Uneasiness to me; but,
in short, what will not a Man do for the sake of Peace and a good
Understanding with his Neighbour? And really this Complaisance of
mine won me his Heart to such a Degree, that he wou'd have laid
down his Life for me upon occasion. His Person, his Family, his
Goods, all were at my Service and Disposal.
Besides these Advantages, which were very considerable for a
Foreigner, as I was, he procur'd me the Acquaintance of many of
his intimate Friends, and particularly of a Factor of the
_Dutch_ Company, who was indeed one of the most agreeable young
Men that I ever knew. He talk'd _French_ very well, and was
perfectly acquainted with his Religion, of which I took an
Opportunity to converse with him, whenever we saw one another,
which I endeavour'd shou'd be as often as possible. I had
moreover this Happiness, that he accommodated me with every thing
I wanted, and wou'd not suffer me for the World to be troublesome
to my Master, who, however, was a courteous good-natur'd
Gentleman. He never made an Entertainment, but he engag'd me to
be of the Party; and the worst on't was, he treated so liberally
that we had occasion to remember it generally for two Days after
it. One time he debauch'd me so, that next Day I was seiz'd with
a violent Fever, which really had like to have cost me my Life;
for it stuck to me three Weeks, and made me as lean as a
Skeleton, so that I was nothing but Skin and Bones; and my
Physician actually gave me over. However, by observing a regular
Diet, I at length recover'd. During this, I made continual
Reflections upon the severe Laws which Nature so punctually
executes upon poor Mortals; and being sensible that there are few
Excesses which she does not punish, I concluded in my Mind, that
Frugality and Temperance are the true Means of keeping the Mind
always free, and of securing the Body from all the Distempers to
which we are otherwise, almost all of us, subject. This made me
take a firm Resolution to be more temperate for the future than I
had been in time past, and never to be guilty of any thing with
which I might reproach my self afterwards. _Van Dyke_, which was
the _Dutchman's_ Name, had made the same Resolution before I knew
him, but his Generosity, when he had a mind to regale his
Friends, oblig'd him sometimes to recede from it, and not always
to put in practice the good Lessons which he scarce ever fail'd
to give when he was the Guest of his Friends. However, I made him
own at last, That when Health is at stake, it was better to be
reckon'd an Oeconomist, than a Man of Generosity and
Complaisance.
During this, the good Man had a troublesome Affair upon his
Hands, which gave me more Uneasiness than it did him. He receiv'd
a Letter from the Wife of one of his Merchants, which requir'd
him in her Husband's Absence, to furnish M. _Heudde_'s Son, who
was her Nephew, and then set out for _Lisbon_, with what
Necessaries he wanted to continue his Voyage; adding, that he
should be reimburs'd, and that for her own part, she shou'd be
much oblig'd to him for the Favour. In about a Fortnight after,
M. _Heudde_ arriv'd at _Van Dyke_'s, attended by a Valet de
Chambre, who were both very meanly accoutred. The first Question
he ask'd him was, Whether he had not receiv'd a Letter from his
Aunt, which the Factor no sooner own'd, than he entertain'd him
with a great many Particularities about several Persons of the
Factor's Acquaintance; after which, he told him his Design of
visiting _Portugal_, _Spain_, _Italy_, _France_, and of returning
home thro' the Island of _Great Britain_. At last he talk'd of
the Money he shou'd have occasion for, to make the Tour of so
many Countries. _Van Dyke_ told him what he thought would
suffice; and as he exhorted him not to be extravagant on the one
hand, so he wou'd not have him disparage himself on the other,
because he had Orders to accommodate him with what Monies he
wanted, not only at _Lisbon_, but wherever else he travell'd:
This the Factor cou'd easily do, because he had very good
Correspondence, either directly or indirectly, in most of the
chief Towns of _Europe_. M. _Heudde_, who seem'd very well
pleas'd with the Compliment, contented himself with the Sum of
15000 Livres, and good Recommendations; and after having staid a
few Days, continu'd his Journey. _Van Dyke_, who was a very
punctual Man in his Business, immediately certify'd his Principal
of what had pass'd betwixt him and his Nephew, and what Rout he
had taken. But in a Week after, to his great Surprise, who shou'd
he meet in the Street, but him that pretended to be M. _Heudde_'s
Valet de Chambre, and asking him if his Master was not gone; he
answer'd him to his farther Astonishment, not only that he cou'd
not tell what was become of him, but that he did not so much as
know who he was. I came hither, said he, some Days ago from
_Bourdeaux_, with a Design to make a Voyage to _America_; the
Gentleman, you speak of, happening to be on Board our Ship,
bargain'd with me to be his Servant, as long as he continued in
this City, for Twenty-pence a Day, besides my Expences, which he
paid me, but dismiss'd me last Week, and I have not since heard a
Word of him. This was somewhat alarming to my Friend; and tho'
he was not very sure that he was bubbled, he had the Precaution
to write immediately to all those to whom he had given the
Traveller his Recommendations, and desired them not to let him
have any thing till farther Orders. This sav'd him from any
farther Loss, but his 300 Ducats were gone past Recovery. The
Answer he receiv'd from _Holland_ was, That they knew not what he
meant, and that this pretended M. _Heudde_ was a Knave to be
sure, that wou'd come to the Gallows.
Tho' this Loss was a Trifle to the Wealth M. _Van Dyke_ had
acquir'd, yet it vex'd him a little, and he left no Stone
unturn'd to find out the Sharper, but all his Inquiry was to no
Purpose; and whether he ever heard of him in his Life, is more
than I know, because I left him not long after; for tho' I was
heartily welcome to him, yet I did not thoroughly like my Station
there, because my Profit was but small, and my principal View was
to see the World. The Friendships I had contracted, and the
Character my Master gave me, made my Departure the more easy.