CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 9 



lent way ; and you will find it will turn to very good 

 account, and save a great deal of money, if you do not go 

 higher than five or six pistoles a horse. At Seville I 

 found a letter of Dr. Wilkins's, who very importunately 

 persuaded either you or me to make a voyage to the Peak 

 of Teneriffe, and that if * * * * home, and you would 

 undertake it, the Royal Society would defray all your 

 charges, and send you to Gales all necessary instruments 

 and a catalogue of the observations they desired to have 

 made. The Peak is only to be ascended in June and 

 July. When you come to Orleans I hope you will take 

 exact notice of Joan of Aries and Charles VII., statues 

 on the bridge ; I saw them as I passed by, but took them 

 for some* superstitious foppery, and did not at all regard 

 them. I hope you will all along get the exact govern- 

 ment of all the towns. 



Mr. BAENHAM to Mr. WHAT. 



SIR, Yours from Montpellier, Jan. the 10th, S. V., 

 came to my hands on Feb. the 6th following, and was 

 answered on the 9th, wherein you give me so great en- 

 couragement to employ you by way of information, that 

 I cannot forbear the annexing of this to the other inquiries 

 I gave you in my last ; and indeed, though last in order, 

 yet I could wish it may be the first in execution. The 

 thing is this: there is a certain woman in the world, 

 whose name I am obliged to conceal (although possibly 

 you would guess it if your were in England), that hath 

 for this two years laboured under the affliction of a belly 

 that hath grown bigger and bigger, and is now much 

 bigger than ever she was when she was with child (for 

 she hath had two children) ; she went up this last week 

 to London to try all the advice that place can afford, 

 having failed of a cure in the country. The concern I 

 have for her, which indeed is exceeding surpassingly great, 



