The life and times of Dr John Dee

Δ. As J. and E. K. ſate diſcourſing of the Noble Polonian Albertus Laſci his great honour here with us obteined, his great good liking of all States of the people, of them that either ſee him or hear of him, and again how much I was beholding to God that his heart ſhould ſo fervently favour me, and that he doth ſo much ſtrive to ſuppreſſe and confound the malice and envie of my Country-men againſt me, for my better credit winning or recovering to do God better ſervice hereafter thereby, &c. Suddenly, there ſeemed to come out of my Oratory a Spirituall creature, like a pretty girle of 7 or 9 yeares of age, attired on her head with her hair rowled up before, an dhanging down very long behinde, with a gown of Sey, ……changeable green and red, and with a train ſhe ſeemed to play up and down……… like, and ſeemed to go in and out behind my books, lying on heaps, the biggeſt…………and as ſhe ſhould ever go between them, the books ſeemed to give place ſufficiently, dis… one heap from the other, while ſhe paſſed between them: And ſo I conſidered, and ……… the diverſe reports which E. K. made unto me of this pretty maiden, and …………… Δ. I ſaid …… Whoſe maiden are you? Δ. Sh. ……… VVhoſe man are you? Δ. I am the ſervant of God both by my bound duty, and alſo (I hope) by his Adoption. A voyce. …… You ſhall be beaten if you tell. ……… Am not I a fine Maiden? Give me leave to play in your houfe, my Mother told me ſhe would come and dwell bere. Δ. She went up and down with moſt lively geſtures of a young girle, playing by her ſelfe, and diverſe times another ſpake to her from the corner of my ſtudy by a great Perſpective- glaſſe, but none was ſeen beſide her ſelfe. …… Shall I? I will (Now ſhe ſeemed to anſwer one in the foreſaid Corner of the Study) …… I pray you let me tarry a little [ſpeaking to one in the foreſaid Corner] Δ. Tell me who you are? ……… I pray you let me play with you a little, and I will tell you who I am. Δ. In the name of Jeſus then tell me. ……… I rejoyce in the name of Jeſus, and I am a poor little Maiden, Madini, I am the laſt but one of my Mothers children, I have little Baby-children at home. Δ. Where is your home? Ma.…I dare not tell you where I dwell, I ſhall be beaten. Δ. You ſhall not be beaten for telling the truth to them that love the truth, to the eter- nal truth all Creatures muſt be obedient. Ma. …… I warrant you I will be obedient. My Siſters ſay they muſt all come and dwell with you. Δ. I deſire that they who love God ſhould dwell with me, and I with them. Ma. …… I love you now you talke of God. Δ. Your eldeſt ſiſter her name is Esémeli. Ma. …… My ſiſter is not ſo ſhort as you make her. Δ. O, I cry you mercy, ſhe is to be pronounced Eſeméli. E. K. She ſmileth, one calls her ſaying, Come away Maiden. Ma.……I will read over my Gentlewoemen firſt. My Maſter Dee will teach me, if I ſay amiſſe. Δ. Read over your Gentlewoemen as it pleaſeth you. Ma. …… I have Gentlemen and Gentlwoemen, Look you here. E- K. She bringeth a little book out of her pocket, ……… She pointeth to a in Picture the book. Mad. …… Is not this a pretty man. Δ. What is his name? Ma.……My …… ſaith, his name is Edward, Look you, he hath a Crown upon his head, my Mother ſaith, that this man was Duke of York. E. K. She looketh upon a Picture in the Book with a Coronet in his hand and a Crown upon his head. Ma. ……This was a jolly man when he was King of England. Δ. How long ſince is it that he was King of England? Ma. …… Do you aſk me ſuch a queſtion, I am but a little Maiden? Lo, here is his Father Richard Plantagenet, and his Father alſo. Δ. How call you him? Ma. ……Richard, Surely this was Richard Earle of Cambridge. E. K. She turneth the book leaves, and ſaid. Mad.……: Here is a grim Lord, He maketh me afraid. Δ. Why doth he make you afraid? Ma. …… He is a ſtern fellow, I do not know him what he is. But this was the Duke of Cla- rence. This was Father to Richard Earle of Cambridge. Lo, here is Anne his wife. E. K. Turning over the leafe, The ſame was heir to all Mortimers lands. Edmund was her brother. Lo, Sir, here be the wicked Mortimers. E K. She turned over diverſe leaves, and then ſhe ſaid Ma. …… This ſame is Roger Mortimer. ……My Mother ſaith this man was Earl of the Marches. This ſame is his wife. He had a great deale of lands by her, for ſhe was an Heire. This ſame is wild Genvill, her Father. Here is a Town they call Webley. Here is Beudley. Here is Mortimers Clybery. Here is wild Wenlock. Here is Ludlow. Here is Stanton Lacy. Genvill his wife was Heire of all theſe. Here is Hugh Lacy her Father. He weareth his haire long, for he was Deputy of Ire- land; That maketh him look with ſuch a writhen face. My ſiſter hath torne out the other two leaves, I will bring them when you have ſupped. I pray do not tell anybody of me. Δ. We were earneſtly called for to Supper by my folks.

After Supper. Ma. ……Here is William Lacy Father to Hugh. Here is Richard his Father. And here is Sir Richard his Father, and here is William, Sir Richards Brother. Here is his going into France. Δ. Quo anno Chrifti? Mad. …… I warrant you my eldeſt Siſter will tell you all. Here is his going into Denmark. My Siſter will come ſhortly, and tell you how he married in Poland, and what iſſue this Wil- liam had. Δ. I pray declare the Pedigree down to this Albert Laſcy. Ma.…… Alas, I cannot tell whats done in other Countries. Δ. I know you are not Particular of this Country, but Univerſal for all countries in the whole world, which is indeed but one Countrey, or a great City, &c. Mad. …… Well, my ſiſter will ſhortly come and tell you unlooked for, If you judge theſe things well that I have ſpoken. Nam vera ſunt. Nam verus eſt qui me miſit. Truth is all that is truth. The Mortimer I ſpake of, is the firſt of the ſix: there were ſix Mortimers Earles of March. Edmond was the laſt, and Roger the firſt; that Mortimer was the Grandfathers Grandfather of this Edmond. E. K. There ſeemeth ſome one to call her, whom I hear now. Ma …… I come. Δ. She took up her Skrolls on the ground, of which ſome were very old, and ſhe put up her book. Ma ……… This may ſtand you in ſome ſtead. Δ. Mitte lucem tuam & veritatem tuam, Jeſu Chriſte, Lux vera,& veritatis perennis Fons, Amen. Richard Laſcy. Edward William Sir Richard Dux Ebor. Laſcy. Laſcy. France. Richard. Peter. Richard France. Denmark. Poland. Laſcy. 1. 2. 3. William Laſcy. Geffrey Genvil. Hugh Lafcy. Wilde Genvill- Rogerus primus comes ═ Joan Genvill. Null. March.