THE OBJECT OF THE LETTER. 83 



whatever escort you would have, or charge you would be at, 

 take the necessary money from the hands of him who will 

 deliver this. If the season and your health permit, and you 

 are willing, means shall not be wanting to enable you to 

 travel post ; and if there be need of it, you shall have the 

 safe conduct of the princes on the road, and the public faith 

 of each country pledged to you. 



" This one thing, lastly, be assured of, that you deal here 

 with a most humane and liberal prince, from whom you may 

 fairly expect not less advantage to yourself than he is ex- 

 pecting, on the other hand, from you. He expects gain to 

 hia body ; you will receive gain of fortune : due not to fortune 

 but rather the just reward of your labour, and of your singular 

 learning and virtue. 



" But if the season, your home studies, household, press of 

 time, business, or the tie of friends, or anything else, make it 

 impossible for you to go so far as Paris, at least travel to 

 Lyons, which is less distant from you, and a famous town. 

 This we entreat of you to do out of your humanity ; we 

 wish it for honour's sake, and for the sake of no mean good ; 

 for by so doing you will not only be serviceable to one most 

 excellent prince, but rather put an entire state and kingdom 

 under obligation to you. If, again (as we do not expect), 

 you concede neither of our requests, then I beseech that you 

 will send us, at full, your advice as to the opposing of the 

 disease I have described (that is ready to pass over into 

 Phthisis, or worse, which Heaven forbid), omitting nothing 

 that you think may be done for its subjection, and take what 

 you think proper as a fee. That all this will be done by you 

 in good faith I do not doubt. * * * 



" But now as I write the last words of this letter, there 

 occur to me two passages published in your eighteenth book 

 on Subtilty, which is concerning marvels. In one of them 



G2 



