390 THE LIFE '0F MILTON. " of the receipt of Your obliging letter, having myfeif thro' force bufinefs, I know not how, neglelted the ordinary conveyance. In " any part where I (hall underfland You fixed, I than be glad and " diligent to entertain You with home-novelties, even for fome fo- " mentation of our friendfhip, too loon interrupted in the cradle." Soon after this he fet out upon his travels, being of an age to snake the proper improvements, and not barely to fee fights and to learn the languages, like molt of our modern travelers, who go out boys, and return fuch as we fee, but fuch as I do not choofe to name. He was attended by only one fervant, who accompanied him through all his travels"; and he went &ft to France, where he had recommen- dations to the Lord Scudamore, the Englilh embaffador there at that time ; and as loon as he came to Paris, he waited upon his Lordfhip, and was received with wonderful civility ; and having an earneft de- lire to vifit the learned Hugo Grotius, he was by his Lordfhip's means introduced to that great man, who was then embaffador at the French court from the famous Chriftina Queen of Sweden ; and the vifit was to their mutual fatisfaEtion; they were each of them pleafed to fee a perfon, of whom they had heard fuch commendations. But at Paris he Rayed not long ; his thoughts and his wifbes battened into Italy ; and fo after a few days he took leave of the Lord Scuda- more, who very kindly gave him letters, to the Englifh merchants in the feveral places thro' which he was to travel, requefting them to do him all the good offices which lay in their power. From Paris he went directly to Nice, where he took (hipping for Genoa, from whence be went to Leghorn, and thence to Pi fa, and fo to Florence, in which city he found fufiicient inducements to make a thy of two months. For befides the cudofities and other beauties of the place, he took great delight in the company and converfation there, and frequented their academies as they are called, the meet- ings of the molt polite and ingenious perfons, which they have in this, as well as in the other principal cities of Italy, for the exercife and improvement of wit and learning among them. And in Oleic ponmfatious he bore fo good a part, and produced fo many excellent ornpofitions, that he was loon taken notice of, and was very much courted
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