1802. ] From the Port-folio 
and J will not be wanting in reprefenting 
your fervices to your advantage. : 
I am, Sir, your moft humble fervant, 
NorrinGHaM. 
Dr. Wailis. 
Six Letters to Mr. Le Comte de Lauzune, 
the French General in Ireland, May rft, 25, 
26, 27, and June 10, from Mr, Louvois, 
June 22, from another. 
~ Dr. Waltis, 
To the Earl of Nottingham. 
Towcefier, Fuly 17, 1660. 
MY LORD, 
I wumBty thank your Lordfhip for 
the great compliment which in your Let- 
ter you were pleafed to put upon me; as 
if I were a perfon of that fkill and dif 
patch in deciphering, as by the fame mef- 
fenger (without detaining him a great 
while here) to return you a letter deci- 
phered (without any key but what I am 
to make myfelf), written from a great 
minifter of ttate in a cipher (and no mean 
one), which I had never feen before: but 
your Lo:dfhip underftands cipher fo well, 
and I am {0 confcious to myielf how far 
XZ fali fhort of fuch a character, that it 
of a Man of Letters, 447 
would favour too much of vanity to pre- 
tend to it. I did, therefore, (without de- 
taining him) difmils your meffenger pre- 
fently ; and I take it tor a great good-hap, 
that in four days” time (feiting to it early 
and late) Ihave (with more pains than 
your Lordihip perhaps is aware of) been 
able to fend with this, that deciphered 
which wes of the lateft date,.which your 
Lordfhip defired to be firft dilpatched, 
which being a fhort letter, and a long ci- 
pher, your Lordfhip willexcufe my having 
found blanks. It is not from Mr. Lou- 
vois, but fubfcribed by a French name in 
a French hand, which { cannot read. The 
re{t are all from Mr. Louvois, but none of 
them in the fame cipher with this, and 
therefore will receive no light from it; 
and I am the more diindent of them, 
having never yet mattered any of his ci- 
phers; and I fufpect fomewhat of pecu- 
liar in his way of cyphering, which I 
have never yet had the good hap to light 
upon. 
But am, My Lord, 
Your Honour’s very humble fervant, 
Joun WaLLis. 
[To be continued. | 
4 
Extracis from the Port-folio of a Man of Letters. 
BRUNETTO LATINI. 
Letter VIII. 
{Brunetto Latini vifits Oxford, Henry III. 
afflembling a Parliament there—curious 
Derivation of the Word Parliament—Roads 
in England infefted with Robbers, and why 
—Sherburn Caftle—Englifh Barons dwell 
in fortified Caftles—State of Learning, and 
Condition of Oxford Students—Friar Bacon 
—his Brazen Head, and numerous Optical 
and Catoptrical Machines—his Difcovery 
of Gunpowder, and the Mariner’s Com- 
pafs. | 
HE Parliament being fummoned to 
aflemble at Oxford, I had an oppor- 
tunity of vifiting that famous {chool, of 
which you have heard fo much, happily, 
fomewhat fooner than from the nature of 
my avocations'I might otherwife have done. 
The Englifh word Parliament is {aid 
by fome learned men here, io be derived, 
quafi, Parium Lamentum; becaule the 
Englith Barons, at thele meetings, com- 
plain of the enormities of their country : 
but I am of epinion it is borrowed from 
our word Parleure, Speech, and Parleor, 
an Orator; and indeed there are many 
f{peakers, and often much virulent fpeech 
delivered in thefe affemblies. 
} 
Our journey from London to Oxford 
was with fome difficulty and danger mae 
in two days; for the roads aie bad, and 
we had to climb hills of hazardous ascent, 
and which to defcend are equaliy perilous. 
We paffed through many woods, confidered 
here as dangerous places, as they are in- 
felted with robbers; which indeed is the 
cafe with moft of the roads in England, 
This is a circumftance connived at by the 
neighbouring Barons, from the confidera- 
tion of fharing in the booty, and thefe 
robbers ferving their protectors en all oc- 
cafions, perfonally, and with the whole 
ftrength of their band. However, as our 
company was numerous, we had nothing 
to fear. Accordingly, we arrived on ihe 
fir night at Sherburn Caftle, in the neigh- 
bourhood of Watlington, under the chain 
of hills, over which we pafled at Stocguiz- 
churque (Stokenchurch. ) 
This Caftle was built by the Earl of 
Tanqueville, one of the followers of the 
fortunes of William the Baflard, Duke of 
Normandy, who invaded England, and 
flew King Harold in a battle which de- 
cided the fate of the kingdom. It is now 
in pofleffion of a defcendant of thefaid Earl, 
As 
