72 MEMOIR OF 



sol fit) rectus in curia starem." * Soon after tlie 

 forfeiture of his fellowship, Mr Ray left Cam- 

 bridge, as also did Mr Willughby ; " and now 

 having," as he says in the preface to his foreign 

 travels, " gone over the greatest part of England 

 in search of plants, and sufficiently informed him- 

 self what sorts his own country produced, he 

 grew desirous to see what variety other countries 

 of a different soil and temperature of air might 

 afford. For which reason I was easily induced 

 to accompany Francis Willughby, Esq. Phillip 

 Skippon, Esq. and Nathanael Bacon, Gent, on a 

 voyage beyond seas." These four gentlemen 

 passed over from Dover to Calais, April 18, 1663. 

 Mr Willughby was then in his twenty-eighth 

 year. Before beginning to trace their progress 

 as far as may be, it is needful to remark, that, 

 on the 22d of April in this year, the Royal 

 Society received its charter from Charles II. It 

 had, previously to this date, consisted merely in 

 private meetings of some scientific gentlemen. 

 Upon its incorporation it received permission to 

 declare within two months who were its members, 

 and afterwards to elect upon the charter. On 

 the 22d of May following the declaration was 

 published, containing, among others, the name of 

 Francis Willughby. 



The King of France having recently com- 

 manded all the English to withdraw themselves 

 and their effects out of his dominions, our travel- 



* Phil. Let. p. 35. 



