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A61161 Observations on Monsieur de Sorbier's Voyage into England written to Dr. Wren, professor of astronomy in Oxford / by Thomas Sprat ... Sprat, Thomas, 1635-1713.; Wren, Christopher, Sir, 1632-1723. 1665 (1665) Wing S5035; ESTC R348 49,808 304

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Notwithstanding all which impudent Disgraces there remains this one comfort to the Church of England that the same man who now vilifies Her so basely had once as mean thoughts of the God-Head of Her blessed Founder Himself But it is easie to conjecture at the Cause of this his harsh Usage of our Church He had but lately Apostatiz'd from the Reformed Religion in France he was but just enter'd into the Romish Communion And he suspected that there might be some doubts still remaining on mens minds of the Reality of his Conversion which might turn to the prejudice not onely of his Spiritual but of his Temporal Estate he had given himself out for a great Philosopher and he understood well enough that few Philosophers are thought to alter their minds that have once been Protestants He was therefore resolv'd to give an Unquestionable proof of his Establishment in the Faith by reviling the Church of England And in performing this I confess Sir he has Counterfeited the Zealot very well he has prosecuted Us with all the Violence and Bigottry which commonly accompanies new Converts But yet I beleive this will hardly do his business Even in this very Book he gives Evidence enough that Calvinism and Heresie are not wholy rooted out of his Heart He grosly abuses the most devoted Children of the Church of Rome the English Roman Catholiques He complains of them that they have no mind to disturb the Peace of their Country tomards the restoration of their Religion which is indeed spoken to their Honour though he intends it to their Shame He says that they are not so zealous in their Way as forein Papists the quite contrary to which is true he makes as if they never saw the True Mass perform'd he affirms that they are all born in Servitude and debases so many Antient Rich and Honourable Families to the condition and the minds of Slaves In all these Speeches he does not express any certain mark of a True Proselyte But above all he has set down such a determination of his Faith that if he had made it in Italy or Spain he had undoubtedly fallen into the Inquisition He boldly pronounces that Transubstantiation Purgatory the Merit of Works Invocation of Saints the Supremacy of the Bishop of Rome the authority of Councils and the Infallibility of the Pope are none of them Fundamental Doctrines What greater Apology could be made for the Church of England which he has so much defam'd seeing these are the onely shameful Causes for which we dissented from Rome But I leave him to be corrected by the Pope's Sentence for these Heresies which perhaps the Holy Father has reason to think do more shake the Holy Chair then the five points of Iansenius that he condemn'd which Monsieur de Sorbiere says did raise a dispute about a matter of Nothing From our Religion Let us follow him of our Government And here Sir I was at first a little at a stand how to deal with him But I have heard of the Magnanimous resolution of the late Duke of Buckingham who would never permit any Apology to be written for him And I consider that it is almost as great an arrogance for one obscure Writer to undertake to defend the Actions of Great Princes as it is for another to defame them I will not therefore inlarge my Speech in the praises of the present happiness of England or in paying all the acknowledgements which are due to our Sovereign for the blessings of His Reign That is a Subject ficter for a more elaborate Volum then a single Letter and for a far more elegant Pen then mine I will onely here shew the Vanity of our Historiographers groundless suggestions And as an Introduction to what he says concerning the Political condition of this Nation I will first observe how he deals with some others of the cheif Crown'd Heads in Europe You will perhaps Sir be very hardly induc'd to beleive that he can be guilty of disrespect to Monarchy or Sovereign Princes when you behold him so Panegyrically given towards that Government as to take the pains to go five or six thousand miles to find out a Race of Kings to commend For he here speaks very zealously in praise of the most vertuous and most religious Kings of China This Sir I cannot but applaud in him and to shew how much this one testimony of his good manners has wrought with me I will not be harsh upon him in this place I will not call in question the credit of his Intelligence from the farthest East which you see is so false about a Country that lies only seven Leagues distant from his own Nay I will not so much as inquire whether ever he met with any Chinese Madam Fiennes to give him this Information I will graunt that the Kings of China have been great Menders of Bridges and Planters of Orchards But I will only now softly put him in mind that while his Pen did overflow with sweet words upon the Kings of China he has handled the Kings of Sweden and Denmark more cruelly then Dionysius the Tyrant would have done when he was a King much less when he was a Schole-Master Of the two last Kings of Sweden he affirms that their Glory is almost wholy vanish'd and that all moderate men must needs read the Desolations which they caus'd with Horror You see Sir what an excellent occasion he has here given me of Triumphing over him You know very well how many great and irresistable arguments this matter might suggest to me what might not be said of that Victorious Nation how copious might I be in extolling the indefatigable Industry the Conduct the Good Fortune the Generosity of those Kings What Passions might here be rais'd in appealing to all Mankind and in aggravating the common misery of all Great Commanders of Armies if it shall be permitted to every small Pamphleteer to invade their Lives and to arraign their Ashes when he pleases But there is no need of going so powerfully to work or of imploying against him any of the Lofty and Tragical Forces of Eloquence It will suffice if I recall to his Memory the Title in which he boasts so much I will only ask him how the Historiographer of France can assert the Wars of Gustavus Adolphus to have been horrible Divastations without casting some share of the Dishonor on the Crown of France it self For if we will believe all the French Writers of that time there was a strict Confederacy and a real Union of Interests between those Two mighty Monarchs I give him leave to use the Fame of the Kings of Sweden as he pleases Let them in his account pass for Theives and Oppressors They deserve so to be us'd for they were mortal Enemies to that belov'd Country with whose Mu●ick and Latin and Dancing he was before so much ravish'd I only bid him look back on the relation which Lewis
OBSERVATIONS ON Monsieur de Sorbier's VOYAGE INTO ENGLAND Written to Dr. WREN Professor of Astronomy in Oxford BY THOMAS SPRAT ●ellow of the Royal Society LONDON ●rinted for Iohn Martyn and Iames Allestry Printers to the Royal Society 1665. A LETTER Containing some Observations On MONSIEVR de SORBIERE'S Voyage into ENGLAND Written to Doctor WREN Professor of ASTRONOMY in OXFORD By Tho. SPRAT Sed poterat tutior esse Domi. SIR I Here send You the Account which Monsieur de Sorbiere has gi●en of his Voyage into Enggland And though it be an insolent Libel on our Nation yet I doubt not but you will peruse it with delight For when you have beheld how many errors and falshoods he has committed in this small Relation you cannot but be well pleas'd to find that whoever undertakes to defame your Country he must at the same time forfeit his Wit and his Understanding as well as his good Manners The King of France ha● already given him an effe●ctual Answer And it became the justice of so great a Monarch while he was defending the Interest of the Christian Faith with his arms to punish a pragmatical Reviler of one of the most powerful Kingdoms in Christendome and while he was exacting satisfaction from the Pope himself for an affront offer'd to his Embassador to take care that none of his own Subjects should presume to injure the reputation of his neighbors and neerest Allies This just Reply which has been publiquely made to this rude Satyr was the cause that it has not bin hitherto confuted by an English Gentleman of your acquaintance who had undertaken it whose Wit wee might have oppos'd against him if he had still flourish't at Paris with the Title of Historiographer Royal though all his mighty boasts of his own abilities had been true But however though he is now below our excellent Friends consideration yet I think my self ingag'd to see him corrected For having now under my hands the History of the Royal Society it will be in vain for mee to try to represent its design to be advantageous to the glory of England if my Countrymen shall know that one who calls himself a member of that Assembly has escap'd unanswer'd in the publique disgraces which he has cast on our whole Nation I will therefore Sir briefly take him into a calm examination And that you may understand how I intend to proceed with him I do here in the beginning profess that I will not vindicate the honor of the English by making reflexions on the French I will not indeavour to repair our own fame on the ruines of others I will have no contention but with himself I will only put together and compare the mistakes the incoherences the vanities of his Book And to confess a secret to you Sir I am resolv'd to take this course in answering him not only because I abhor the sordid way of Wit of abusing whole Nations but also because I am not much inamor'd of the glory of his punishment For I cannot think that it is worth a mans while that can live quietly here at London to have the honour of making three or four ill-natur'd jests on a whole Kingdom with the hazard of being justly bani●ht into Flint or Denbigh for ones labour I must confess Sir I came at first to read him with some expectations I had before seen what he had written in praise of those two great Men the Ornaments of France Gassendus and De Marcu the Arch-Bishop of Paris And I had some good hope that the familiarity which he pretended to have had with them had taught him some of their good Qualities that from the first he had taken that candour and modesty which the world admires in his writings and from the other he had learn'd with what respect he ought to treat the fame of whole Nations Churches and Soveraign Princes by that admirable defence which he has made of the Gallican priviledges Besides this Sir I took his Book into my hands with the grea●er good-will because I had some knowledg of his person I had seen him at the Royal Society I had been a witness with what civility he had been there entertain'd I had been inform'd what kindness he had receiv'd at Oxford I had heard what favour the King had shewn him by admitting him to private discourses with him in his Cabinet And from all this I was incouraged to beleive that he had given an honourable or at least a just description of England But I quickly perceiv'd how much I was disappointed I presently saw what difference there is between scribling fine Harangues on vertuous Men and real vertue it self I strait found that instead of the good intentions which he says he never wants the greatest part of his Treatise consists of ill-grounded reproches that he has ventur'd on many things whereof it was impossible he should receive an account that where he might be suppos'd to have some tolerable knowledge his malice has perverted his understanding and that through the whole course of his Observations he has by his own example made good that character which he often in this Book bestows on humane Nature in general that mankind is most pleas'd with trifles and that we are all credulous and Lyars In his Epistle Dedicatory he assures the most Christian King that the principal motive of his journey was a desire to advance his Majesties glory The Design was commendable and worthy an Historiographer Royal. But what course did he take to increase his renown he says that he travell●d abroad on purpose to spread throughout the world the fame of his Majesties munificence to himself I beseech you Sir how long will your English modesty overwhelm you how much reason have You real Philosophers and Mathematicians to have high thoughts of your selves if it shall be allow'd to a man who has onely got some name by creeping into your companies to beleive himself so considerable that his Masters liberality to him ought to make to all mankind admire his Magnificence The Christian world has better signs of the greatness of the King of France's mind his armies and money have been honorably imploy'd against Algiers and Constantinople Amidst all these glorious expences what a mighty sound does it make that the famous Monsieur de Sorbiere did receive a small stipend out of his Treasury But that you may the better understand who this great man is that can either exalt or diminish the honor of Princes with a word of his mouth I intreat you to hear his own description of himself I will onely repeat in his own words the praises which in the compass of a few leaves he has given his own merits by which you may ghess how uniustly he has misplac't the titles of proud and arrogant when he bestow'd them on one of the best Natured and bashfullest Nations in the world He brags that he has spent all his life in advancing