TilE LIFE ov 3'93 purple by the news from England, that things were tending to d civil war between the King and Parliament ; for he thought it ur, worthy of himfelf to be taking his pleafure abroad, while his country ^4 men were contending for liberty at home. He refolved therefore ter return by the way of Rome, tho' he was advifed to the contrary by the merchants, who had received intelligence from their correfpon., dents, that the Englifh Jefuits there were forming plots againft in cafe he fhould return thither, by reafon of the great freedom which he had ufed in all his difcourfes of religion. For he had by no means obferverl the rule, recommended to him by Sir Henry Wotton, of keeping his thoughts clofe and his coun- tenance open a He had vifited Galileo, a prifoner to the iriquifitlon. for aliening the motion of the earth, and thinking otherwife in aftro.,, nomy than the Dominicans and Francifcans thought a And tho' the Marquis of Villa had fhown him fuck diflinguilhing marks of favoe at Naples, yet he told him at his departure that he would have fliewrt him much greater, if he had been more referved in matters of religion. But he had a foul above diffimulation and difguife ; he was neither afraid, nor afhamed to vindicate the truth ; and if any man had, he had in him the fpirit of an old martyr. He was fo prudent indeed, that he would not of his own accord begin any difcourfe of religion but at the fame time he was fo honefi, that if he was queftioned at all about his faith, he would not difiemble his fentiments, whatever was the confequence. And with this refolution he went to Rome the fecond time, and flayed there two Months more, neither conceal- ing his name, nor declining openly to defend the truth, if any thought proper to attack him : and yet, God's good providence proteding him, he same fafe to his kind friends at Florence, where he was received with as much joy and affedion, as if he had returned into his own country. Here likewife he flayed two months, as he had dons before, elt- cepting only an excurfion of a few days to Lucca : and then trolling the Appennine, and palling thro' Bologna and Ferrara, he came to Venice, in which city he fpent a month ; and having lb piled off the books, which he had collated in his travels, and particularly a Li 1 cher,
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