Page:The lives of the poets of Great Britain and Ireland to the time of Dean Swift - Volume 4.djvu/135

Rh of the foundation at Trinity College. We have no farther account of him for ſeveral years after this, only that he travelled through the moſt polite parts of the world, but in what quality we are not certain, unleſs in that of ſecretary to the embaſſy at Conſtantinople.

While our author was in France, he wrote his poem entitled Cuidam, qui legendo Scripturam, deſcripſit Formam, Sapientiam, Sortemque Authoris. Illuſtriſſimo Viro Domino Lanceloto Joſepho de Maniban Grammatomanti.

The perſon to whom he addreſſes theſe verſes was an Abbot, famous for entering into the qualities of thoſe whom he had never ſeen, and prognoſticating their good, or bad fortune from an inſpection of their hand-writing.

During the troubles of the Republic we find him tutor to one Mr. Dutton, a young gentleman; as appears from an original letter of his to Oliver Cromwel. This letter ſent to ſo extraordinary a perſon by a man of Mr. Marvel’s conſequence, may excite the reader’s curioſity, with which he ſhall be gratified. It carries in it much of that ſtiffneſs and pedantry peculiar to the times, and is very different from the uſual ſtile of our author.

‘May it pleaſe your ,

‘It might perhaps ſeem fit for me to ſeek out words to give your excellence thanks for myſelf. But indeed the only civility, which it is fit for me to practiſe with ſo eminent a perſon, is to obey you, and to perform honeſtly this work which you have ſet me about. Therefore I ſhall uſe the time that your lordſhip is pleaſed to allow me for writing,