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"the eafy Temper of our common Mother. Envy, and a Sournefs of Temper, in fome "of her aged Nuns, do, indeed, put us to fome "Trouble, to glofs over our little Irregularities;. "but we who are Favourites, generally know "how to turn their Complaints to their own Dif "advantage; or, at worst, it is but facrificing "fome of our Patronefs's Benefactions to their "Avarice."

THUS we pafs'd our Time, till Decency, as well as the Reafon already alledg'd, call'd me to depart: But, at my Return to my Quarters, my Pleasure was interrupted, by the Mortification of hearing, that my travelling Companion design'd to depart the next Morning. However, as the next Place, he defign'd to make fome Stay at, was but at the Distance of a fhort Day's Journy, I refolv'd to spend another Day with my lovely Nun, and to take Poft-horfes the next Night, to follow my Friend. My first Attempt in the Practice of Phyfic was fo fuccessful, that I found my Patient, the next Morning, up, and fiting on her Bed-fide, at Breakfast, with her Father-Confeffor and Lady. Abbefs. Joy appear'd in every Countenance, 'till the Neceffity of my Departure that Evening, being made known, put a fudden Damp upon it, and more especially in the young Votary, fo vifibly, that I began to fear fhe would, by over-acting her Part, betray the Secret, or fall Sick in earneft. The good old Lady lamented the Want of fo able a Phyfician in that City, and exprefs'd a Surprise at the Efficacy of my Prefcription, of which I fear'd fhe would have begg'd a Copy: But she foon difpel'd my Apprehenfions, by giving me an Account what a fweet Night's Reft my Coufin had enjoy'd, and that the Sifter who fat up with her had obferv'd her frequently to fmile in her Sleep, as if fome pleafing Dreams had footh'd her Imagination, all which the

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kindly

kindly attributed to the Effects of my Arcana. I could have accounted for this in a more feeling Manner; but I chose to wave the Difcourfe, by faying, it was the natural Effect of the Gaiety of her Temper, upon the Removal of the morbific Quality, which had made her fo reftiefs the Night before. I chanced to have, in my Trunk, fome Phials of Sal volatile oleofum Sylvi; I had the Day before adminifter'd fome Drops of it, to carry on the Farce, and now recommended a Couple of Bottles of it as a fovereign Panacea, which would certainly restore my fair Patient to a perfect State of Health, if continued a few Days longer, and fhe might be indulg'd to keep her Chamber, during the Ufe of it. By this Means, I fecured the Enjoy ment of her Company 'till the Moment of my Departure, and we spent the Day in the fame agreable Manner we had done the preceding one. I was even allow'd to dine in her Cell, and as fhe had chofen her Confident for her Attendant, I found a Wink commanded her Abfence whenever we were defirous of being alone, and fhe was very vigilant to give us timely Notice of the Approach of any one who otherwife might have furprized us. .I found, in our Difcourfe of this Day, that my little Charmer, as fatisfied as fhe was with a Monaftic Life, would gladly have quitted it, to accompany me in my Travels, in any Difguife; and could an Expedient have been thought on for her Escape, I believe I fhould have found it difficult to have left her behind me. She propos'd feveral, but as they all appeared impracticable, fhe was at length fatisfied with my leaving Directions with her, how she might follow me, if a more favourable Opportunity fhould offer. I fhall not trouble you with an Account of our melancholy parting, nor divert you from the pleafing Reflections this Relation of my

Adventure

Adventure may give you, by telling you how fenfibly it affected, not only both of us, but the LadyAbbefs, and the Dominican, who both lamented the Lofs of fo able and fuccefsful a Phyfician. I am, &c.

SIR,

LETTER III.

PADERBORN.

FINISHED my laft with the Conclufion of my Adventure with a beautiful Nun at Munster, formerly our Acquaintance in England. I no fooner return'd to my Lodgings, than, having finish'd that Letter, which I had begun and continued at Intervals, I order'd Poft-horfes to be provided, and, riding all Night, overtook my Travelling Companion, the next Morning, at a Place call'd Soeft, feven German Miles from Munster, South; remarkable only for being as poor, as we can imagine a large Place to be without Trade, and cumber'd with feveral Monafteries, whofe Inhabitants, like Nefts of Rats, in the Walls and Rafters of a Granary, are continually preying on whatever is within their Reach. This City is fo ancient, that it was noted in the Days of Charlemaign, and is now very large, being divided into fourteen Parishes, and having as many Gates; but is in fo ruinous a Condition, that very few of the Streets are paved. It was formerly a free Imperial City, but, at different Times, underwent various Changes, and is now fubject to the King of Pruffia, as Earl of Marck. When it was C 4

taken

taken and plunder'd, in the Year 1622, by Chrif tian, Duke of Brunswick, among other Booty, he is faid to have carried away the twelve Apoftles, in maffy Silver. Its prefent Poverty is afcrib'd, indeed, to its different Fate and Sufferings in War, and by Fire; but it is, perhaps, more owing to its being made a Prey to the Roman Catholic Priefts, who are Mafters of the Cathedral, and of eleven of the other Parish-Churches, and have likewife feveral Monafteries, and, in particular, a famous Nunnery, call'd Paradife. There are, however, among the Inhabitants, a pretty large .number of Lutherans, who poffefs two of the Parish Churches, and a Nunnery of that Perfuafion *. They pretend here to an ancient Body of Laws, call'd Jus Sofatenfe, which, tho' not mention'd by many ancient Writers, is generally allow'd to have been the Foundation of that ancient Body of Laws, now call'd the Jus Lubecenfe, after having received confiderable Improvements from the Saxon Laws, and from thofe of Wisbuy.

My Companion and I, having spent the Afternoon in vifiting the Churches and Cloifters, where Plenty appeared as barefaced as Poverty in the Town, when we return'd to our Lodgings, and afk'd for our Beds, were directed to an Opening in the Wall, which we mounted, with the Help of a Chair, and a high Trunk, and found a Place over the Entry into the Houfe; capacious enough for us all three to ftretch ourselves out, but hardly high enough to fit upright. In this Cabbin, they had laid a good foft Feather-bed (as they gene

*Thefe Lutheran Nunneries are a Sort of free Boarding Schools, rais'd upon the ancient Establishments, where young Ladies, generally of the best Families, are educated, and fome fpend their Lives in them, but take neither the Vow nor Habit, nor are they tied down to many Rules.

rally

rally all are in this Country, where they have any) on the bare Boards, and another of the fame Kind to cover us, if we had been inclin'd to creep in between them; but both in greafy, filthy Ticking, and without either Sheet, Blanket or Quilt; we therefore thought it advisable to lye upon both, and cover ourselves with our Cloaks.

We did not meet with any Thing, in this Place, capable of tempting us to ftay any longer here, than my Companion's Bufinefs oblig'd him to; fo we departed the next Morning for Lipstadt, where we arriv'd early the fame Afternoon. As my Companion propos'd to continue our Journy the next Morning for Paderborn, which is but three German Miles from Lipftadt, Weftward, I had not much Time to look about me, nor could I learn, that there was any Thing very remarkable to be feen. I found, at approaching it, that this is a Place. of great Strength, partly by Art, but more by Nature, being fituated on the River Lippe, in the Midft of unpaffable Moraffes; and I was told there, that it is esteem'd one of the ftrongeft Places in Westphalia. The Town is large, and has the Appearance of being one of the Habitations of Poverty, tho' not under the Oppreffion of the Roman Catholics It is very ancient, faid to be built fo early as 1150, was formerly in the Hanfeatick League, and once a free Imperial City; till, in Length of Time, it fell under the Jurifdiction of the Counts of Lippe, and became their Refidence, as it was the Capital of the County of that Name *. In 1366, Count Simon pawn'd it to Engelbert, Count of the

*There are two Sorts of Counts in Germany; one who may be called titulary, and poffefs no Sovereignties; and the other, who are called Reich's Grafen (or Counts of the Empire) who are Sovereigns, and have Šeffion and Vote in the Diet. Marck,