THE 



DESIGN 



OF THE 



AUTHO 



Where he gives a brief Relation of his firfl Travels through the 

 befl parts of Europe as far as Conftantinople. 



F the effect of Education may be liken'd to a fécond 

 Birth, I may truly fay , that I came into the World 

 with a defire to travel. The daily difcourfes 

 which feveral Learned men had with my Father: 

 upon Geographical fubjects, which my Father had 

 the reputation of underftanding very well , and to 

 which , though very young , I was with much 

 delight attentive, infpïr'd me betimes with a defign 

 to fee fome part of thofe Countries, which were reprefented to me 

 in the Maps , from which I never could keep off my Eyes. By two 

 and twenty years of Age , therefore I had feen the faireft Regions of 

 Europe, France, England, the Lew Countries , Germany, Switzerland , 

 Poland , Hungary , and Italy ; and I fpake indifferently well theLangua- 

 ges moft neceffary and moid generally fpoken. 



Myfirft fally was into England, where at that time Reigned King 

 James • from thence I pafs'd into Flanders to fee Antwerp, my Father's 

 Native Country , and lb into the Low Countries , where my inclination 

 to travel became the ftronger , by reafon of the great concourfe of Stran^ 

 gers which I met at ^Amjterdam , that crouded thither from all parts of 

 the World. 



Having feen what was moft confiderable in the united Provinces ^ 

 I pafs'd into Germany , and when I came to Norimbergb , by the way of 

 Frankfort and i^ufprtrgb , the noife of the Armies that were marching 

 into Bohemia to retake Prague , inftill'd into me a defire to go to the 

 Wars , where I might learn fomething that might be ufeful to me in the 

 feries of my travels. I was not above a days journey from Norimbergb, 

 when I met a Colonel of Horfe, whole name was Hans Brener , the 

 Son of Philip Brener , Governourof Vienna, who engag'd me to follow 

 him into Bohemia, Sometime after I bore the fame Colonel company 

 x.q Vienna, who prefented me to the Governour of Raab , his Uncle, 

 then Viceroy of Hungary aIfo$ who receiv'd me into his Family as one 

 of his Pages. For it is a ufual thing in Germany for Gentlemen's Sons 

 to ferve in that quality 'till five and twenty years of age, and feldom 

 to quit that fervice , 'rill they have a Commilfion for a Cornet, or 

 Enfigns place. Four years and a half I ferv'd the Viceroy, when the 

 Prince of Mantua came to Pienna , to engage the Emperour in certain 



I ] . defigns 



