CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. U 



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 

 midertake 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 VIL, 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 wdll all along get the exact govern- 

 ment of all the towns. 



Mr. Baenham to Mr. "Wray. 



Sir, — Yours from Montpellier, Jan. the 10th, S. V., 

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

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

 com-agement 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, 



